Itikthlltilt 


"BX  5926  .V34  1841 
Vail,  Thomas  H.  1812-1889. 
The  comprehensive  church, 
or,  Christian  unity  and 


.^y/t:^    {'..J/.~jJ^"'y^  . 


\ 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arcliive 

in  2009  witli  funding  from 

Princeton  Tlieological  Seminary  Library 


littp://www.archive.org/details/Gompreliensivecliu1841vail 


^/^^r;^^^. 


THE   COMPREHENSIVE   CHURCH. 


"O  GOD,  THE  CREATOR  AND  fPRESERVEK  OF  ALL 
MANKIND,  MORE  ESPECIALLY  WE  PRAY  FOR  THY 
HOLY  CHURCH  UNIVERSAL  ;  THAT  IT  MAY  BE  SO 
GUIDED  AND  GOVERNED  BY  THY  GOOD  SPIRIT,  THAT 
ALL,  WHO  PROFESS  AND  CALL  THEMSELVES  CHRIS- 
TIANS,  MAY  BE  LED  INTO  THE  WAY  OF  TRUTH, 
AND  HOLD  THE  FAITH  IN  UNITY  OF  SPIRIT,  IN  THE 
BOND  OF  PEACE,  AND  IN  RIGHTEOUSNESS  OF  LIFE. 
AND  THIS  WE  BEG  FOR  JESUS  CHRIST'S  SAKE. 
AMEN." 

Book  of  Common  Prayer ; 
Daily  Morning  and  Evening  Collect. 


COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH: 


CHRISTIAN    UNITY 


ECCLESIASTICAL    UNION. 


BY  THE  REV.  THOMAS  H.'  VAIL,  A.  M. 


"  There  is  one  Body."    Ephesians  iv:  4. 

"  Sola  i^tur  cathoUca  eccleaia  est,  qua  verum  cultum  reiinet.  Hie  est  fona  veritatis,  hoc 
domicllium  fidei,  boctemplum  Dei.  .  .  .  Neuiinem  sibi  oportet  peninaci  coiicertL^tiooe 
hlandiri;  asiiur  enim  de  viia  et  saluie.  .  .  .  Se  1  tamen,  singuli  quiqus  ccslusse  polis- 
•imumCbristianos,  etsuam  esse  catliolicara  ecclesiam  putant." 

Lactautius.    lost.  Div.  L.  ir.  ad  fin. 


HARTFORD. 

PUBLISHED    BY   H.   HUNTINGTON  JR. 

1841. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  tlie  year  1841,  by 

THOMAS    H.   VAIL, 

in  tile  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  tlie  District  of  Connecticut. 


PREFA'^ 


Much  has  been  said  and  published,  of  late  years, 
on  the  subject  of  Christian  Union — not  enough  to 
accomplish  it,  but  enough  to  shew  that  the  minds 
of  Christians  are  open  to  the  inconveniences  and 
dangers  of  sectarian  divisions,  and  that  their  hearts 
are  longing  for  some  closer  and  happier  communion 
than  is  allowed  by  the  present  divided  state  of  the 
Christian  Church.  The  many  proofs  presented 
daily,  that  Christians  desire  to  be  united,  are  en- 
couraging to  our  hopes,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
there  is  discouragement  in  the  fact,  that  the  public 
mind  seems  to  have  settled  down  despondingly 
under  the  impression,  that  no  feasible  plan  can  be 
proposed  for  the  accomplishment  of  its  desire. 

The  writer  thinks,  that  a  capital  mistake  has  been 
committed  in  the  course  of  enquiry  which  has  been 
generally  pursued  on  this  subject.  He  thinks,  that 
instead  of  endeavoring  to  strike  out  an  entirely  new 
system  of  ecclesiastical  unity,  the  proper  and  only 
feasible  course  is  to  select,  for  the  purpose  of  uniting 
within  it,  some  system  already  established,  and 
which  realizes  most  nearly  the  idea  of  a  Compre- 


PREFACE. 


hensive  Church,  and  if  it  be  not  in  every  respect 
perfect,  to  improve  it,  if  it  will  allow  improvement, 
into  perfection.  It  may  be,  there  is  such  a  system 
amongst  us — a  system,  whose  structure  is  capable 
of  any  modification,  and  in  whose  organization  are 
instrumentalities  by  which  it  may  be  shaped  into 
any  form  which  the  majority  of  the  Christians  in 
our  country  may  desire.  We  believe  there  is  such 
a  svstem  amongst  us. 

The  writer,  as  will  be  yjerceived,  is  a  Protestant 
Episcopalian,  and  the  prayer  of  his  heart  is:  "Grace 
be  with  all  them  that  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
sincerity."  Yet  he  believes,  that,  in  our  day,  there 
is  a  very  manifest  and  sad  departure  from  scriptu- 
ral unity,  and  that  it  is  the  duty  of  those  who  "  love 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity,"  to  return,  if  pos- 
sible, to  a  consistency  with  the  scriptural  precepts. 
We  all  realize  the  dissensions  of  Christ's  Church, 
and  suffer  from  them.  If  we  can,  let  us  remedy 
them. 

After  an  examination  of  the  ecclesiastical  sys- 
tems of  various  denominations,  and  a  careful  inves- 
tigation of  the  theory  of  his  own  Church,  with  a 
particular  refei-ence  to  the  practicability  of  Christian 
and  ecclesiastical  unity,  the  writer  ventures  to  sug- 
gest the  remedy  alluded  to.  He  does  so  with  a 
confidence  in  the  sympathies  of  his  Christian  breth- 
ren ;  for  they  will  approve  his  design.  There 
ought  to  be  more  confidence  between  the  members 
of  the  Lord's  family,  more  of  mutual  and  unreserved 


PREFACE.  IX 

enquiry  on  the  mode  of  effecting  unity.  The  large 
deUberative  bodies,  which  represent  the  intellectual 
and  moral  strength  of  the  different  denominations, 
ought  to  confer,  and  to  correspond  with  each  other 
on  this  subject,  which  respects  certainly  one  of  the 
most  important  present  duties  of  the  Church.  The 
writer  would  be  glad  to  see  the  highest  Conven- 
tions of  his  own  Church  exhibiting  first  this  exam- 
ple of  Christian  confidence,  and  even  addressing 
memorials  on  the  subject  to  the  members  and  the 
representative  assemblies  of  other  denominations. 

It  has  been  the  lot  of  the  writer  to  mingle  much 
with  intelligent  Christians  of  different  and  opposing 
names,  and  from  his  intercourse  with  them,  as  well 
as  with  the  members  of  his  own  Church,  he  believes 
there  is  a  prevailing  misconception  of  the  principles 
of  unity,  and  that,  if  the  principle  herein  advanced 
shall  be  generally  understood,  there  will  be  a  great 
progress  towards  a  United  Church,  The  common 
conception  is  too  contracted.  If  he  is  not  very 
much  mistaken,  the  principles  herein  exhibited  are 
familiar  to  comparatively  few,  and  will  to  most 
minds  suggest  a  train  of  reflections  altogether  unu- 
sual. 

It  had  been  well,  if  the  writer  could  have  backed 
his  reasonings  by  the  influence  of  some  personal 
authority  or  reputation.  But,  if  he  lacks  that  ad- 
vantage, his  reasonings  will  have  a  fairer  opportu- 
nity to  test  their  force.  He  comes  as  a  Christian 
man  to  communicate  to  his  brethren  something  for 


PREFACE. 


their  mutual  benefit,  something  which,  he  hopes, 
they  will  cordially  and  frankly  receive.  He  com- 
mends this  outline  of  thought  to  the  patient  and  ma- 
tured examination  of  the  Christian  public,  and  he 
will  be  glad,  if  some  abler  hand  shall  fill  it  up  more 
elaborately,  lie  can  say,  with  good  Bishop  Burnet, 
in  the  preface  to  his  "  Exposition  of  the  Thirty-nine 
Articles,"  although  he  applies  to  himself  with  diffi- 
dence the  language  of  so  distinguished  a  man :  "  I 
had  no  other  design  in  this  work,  but  first  to  find  out 
the  truth  myself,  and  then  to  help  others  to  find  it 
out.  If  I  succeed  to  any  degree  in  this  design,  I 
will  bless  God  for  it ;  and  if  I  fail  in  it,  1  will  bear 
it  with  the  humility  and  patience  that  becomes  me. 
But  as  soon  as  I  sec  a  better  work  of  this  kind,  I 
shall  be  among  the  first  of  those  who  shall  recom- 
mend that,  and  disparage  this." 

A  few  words  arc  due  to  his  Episcopalian  brethren 
particularly.  Ever  since  he  lias  been  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  calling,  both  as  a  missionary  and  as  a 
parochial  minister,  he  has  felt  ahnost  daily  the  need 
of  some  such  book  as  this.  He  has  been  sometimes 
greatly  surprised  at  the  extreme  misapprehensions 
prevalent  in  the  community  with  regard  to  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States, 
when  the  means  of  better  knowledge  have  so  long 
been  spread  before  the  public.  His  familiarity  with 
these  misapprehensions  has  blunted  the  sense  of 
surprize,  while  it  has  nourished  a  sense  of  continual 
regret  and  sadness.     He  has  hoped  to  find  his  want 


P  R  K  K  A  C  K  .  Xl 

supplied,  and  has  finally  undertaken  the  task  for 
himself,  since  the  need  is  great,  and  it  is  hard  to 
wait  patiently  for  an  uncertainty. 

There  is,  besides  the  members  of  the  community 
at  large,  a  class,  and  a  numerous  one — that  of  the- 
ological students,  or  candidates  for  orders — who 
might,  as  the  writer's  former  observation  and  per- 
sonal experience  has  demonstrated,  be  much  bene- 
fitted by  some  such  work  as  this.  It  is  required, 
indeed,  by  a  general  canon,  that  "the  last  examina- 
tion" of  every  candidate,  prior  to  his  ordination  as 
deacon,  must  be  "  on  Church  history,  ecclesiastical 
polity,  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  and  the  Con- 
stitution and  Canons  of  the  Church,  and  of  the  dio- 
cese for  which  he  is  to  be  ordained."  Now,  on 
Church  history,  ecclesiastical  polity,  and  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer,  especially  the  two  former,  the 
student  may  be  very  well  informed,  and  his  examin- 
ation satisfactory.  But  on  the  Constitution  and 
Canons  of  the  Church,  his  information  is  ordinarily 
slight,  and  his  examination  (if  attended  to)  unsatis- 
factory, for  this  good  reason,  that  he  cannot  study 
them  except  at  disadvantage,  because  they  are  no 
where  so  arranged  that  he  can  associate  them  with 
the  system  of  principles  which  they  illustrate. 
Hence  it  is  true,  that  most  of  our  candidates  for 
orders,  even  at  their  first  ordinations,  although  they 
may  be  excellent  scholars  in  the  Scriptural,  and 
what  we  may  call  the  historical  doctrines  of  their 
Church,  do  not  have  clear  and  accurate  and  defen- 


Xll  PREFACE, 

sible  views  of  their  Church,  as  it  is — as  a  practical 
and  working  system  in  the  present  day  and  in  our 
own  country.  A  treatise,  like  this  volume,  and  es- 
pecially its  sixth  chapter,  might  be  a  useful  manual 
to  the  class  of  students  referred  to,  and  a  convenient 
aid  to  those  who  have  the  charge  of  their  education 
in  the  department  of  ecclesiastical  studies. 

Many  excellent  books  have  been  written  on  many 
points  in  the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  and  illustrative  of  its  peculiar  doctrines  and 
customs,  with  very  great  profit.  But,  after  all,  there 
is  no  work,  which,  in  a  plain,  didactic  style,  devel- 
opes  the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
as  it  is,  which  shows  out  the  whole  Church  as  an 
existing  and  operating  system.  There  is  no  work 
which  illustrates  distinctly  the  comprehensiveness 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  with  regard  to 
its  adaptation  to  the  purposes  of  Christian  and 
Ecclesiastical  Unity.  These  blanks  the  writer  has 
endeavored  to  fill ;  or  rather,  he  has  endeavored  to 
exemplify,  by  short  precedents,  how  these  blanks 
may  be  filled.  It  is  his  impression,  that  a  book,  upon 
a  plan  similar  to  this,  and  better  executed,  might  be 
useful  in  all  our  parishes,  and  might  be  very  gene- 
rally circulated  with  much  advantage,  not  only  to 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  but  also  to  the 
great  object  of  Christian  and  Ecclesiastical  Unity, 
which  all  true  disciples  of  our  Lord  have  so  much 
at  heart. 

It  is  necessary  to  take  this  practical  view  of  our 


PREFACE.  Xm 

subject,  because,  after  all,  it  is  the  most  important. 
In  the  history  and  institutions  of  a  Church,  whose 
track  has  marked  the  course  of  nearly  two  thousand 
years,  there  must  be  much  to  deeply  interest  the 
student ;  and  such  an  one,  in  proportion  as  he  en- 
larges his  acquisitions,  will  learn  more  and  more  of 
the  minute  causes  of  those  institutions,  and  their 
connexion  with  the  history  of  man,  and  the  gradual 
development  of  the  philosophy  of  the  human  mind. 
But  the  man  of  every-day  life  has  often  not  the  time 
nor  the  taste  for  such  investigations.  Besides,  all 
his  habits  are  practical,  and  concerned  with  his 
common  and  pressing  interests ;  and  the  question 
from  him  is  :  What  is  the  system  ?  He  cares  not 
for  its  history  nor  for  its  remote  causes.  He  wants 
to  know  only  this — that  the  system  is  now  practi- 
cal, that  it  will  work  well  for  him,  that  it  does  now 
suit  his  wishes  and  wants.  Bishop  Brownell,  in  the 
course  of  a  recent  address  delivered  by  him  to  the 
Convention  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of 
Connecticut,  (holden  in  June,  1840,)  has  well  ex- 
pressed this  prevailing  sentiment,  when  he  says, 
(and  the  emphasis  is  his  own) :  "  We  love  the 
Church  as  it  is," — we  love  it  as  a  practical  system, 
working  in  and  for  our  own  day,  working  by  and 
for  ourselves.  It  is  this  view,  practical  and  the 
most  important  to  us,  which  we  would  present  to 
our  readers. 

The  writer  anticipates  the  possibility,  that  in 
some  things  he  may  not  please  all  his  brethren  ;  he 


PREFACE 


may  not  express  precisely  the  sentiments  of  all. 
Some  are  for  keeping  their  Church  aloof  and  disu- 
nited from  all  others,  and  will  have  it,  that  there  are 
in  it  no  points  of  natural  contact  with  other  denom- 
inations. Some,  of  an  opposite  habit  of  mind,  are 
for  assimilating  their  Church  as  far  as  possible  with 
one  or  another  particular  denomination  which  com- 
mands their  sympathies.  While  others  still  have 
selected  some  particular  denomination  against  which 
it  is  their  hobby  to  oppose  their  Church.  Now  all 
these  are  more  or  less  sectarian  in  their  spirit. 
Certainly,  they  have  no  just  perceptions  of  the 
comprehensiveness  of  their  Church.  We  com- 
mend to  them  all  our  subject. 

Of  one  thing  the  writer  is  assured — he  has  assert- 
ed no  facts  which  he  does  not  prove ;  he  has  ad- 
vanced no  principle,  which  is  not  simple,  and  well- 
nigh  demonstrable. 

Finally,  he  accommodates,  with  humility,  to  'this 
place,  the  closing  words  of  the  preface  of  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer,  which  he  prefers  to  the  reader 
as  expressive  of  his  own  hopes :  "  And  now  this 
work  being  brought  to  a  conclusion,  it  is  hoped  the 
whole  will  be  received  and  examined  by  every  true 
member  of  our  Church,  and  every  sincere  Chris- 
tian, with  a  meek,  candid,  and  charitable  frame  of 
mind ;  without  prejudice  or  prepossession ;  seri- 
ously considering  what  Christianity  is,  and  what 
the  truths  of  the  Gospel  are  ;  and  earnestly  beseech- 
ing Almighty  God  to  accompany  with  his  blessing 


PREFACE.  XV 

every  endeavor  for  promulgating  them  to  mankind 
in  the  clearest,  plainest,  most  affecting  and  majestic 
manner,  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  blessed 
Lord  and  Saviour." 

Note.  The  only  errata  affecting  the  sense,  wliich  have  been 
noticed,  are  on  pages  30,  3*2,  and  33,  where,  in  several  places,  the 
reader  is  requested,  instead  of  Van  Dijek,  to  read  Van  Dyck,  and 
on  page  60,  in  the  sixteenth  line  from  the  top,  instead  of  paternal, 
to  read  fraternal. 


"ALMIGHTY  AND  EVEK-LIVIN'G  GOD,  WE  BE- 
SEECH THEE  TO  INSPIRE  CONTINUALLY  THE  UNI- 
VERSAL CHURCH  WITH  THE  SPIRIT  OF  TRUTH, 
UNITY,  AND  CONCORD  :  AND  GRANT  THAT  ALL 
THOSE,  WHO  DO  CONFESS  THY  HOLY'  NiME,  MAY 
AGREE  IN  THE  TRUTH  OF  THY'  HOLY  WORD, 
AND  LIVE  IN  UNITY  AND  GODLY  LOVE.  GRANT 
THIS,  O  FATHER,  FOR  JESUS  CHRIST'S  SAKE 
OUR    ONLY    MEDIATOR    AND    ADVOCATE.        AMEN." 

Book  of  Common  Prayer. 
Prayer  in  the  Order  for    the  Holy  Com- 
munion. 


TJ  "^  V  -r»  /-«  .., ,  ,^ 


^TT  r» 


HSOLOGICiL  J 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I. 

No  Christian  Union  without  Ecclesiastical  Unity— a  Qomprehensiye 
Church  apparently  impracticable — desired  by  all — one  to  be  proposed  in  this 
volume — principles  of  unity  in  the  Apostolical  and  Primitive  Church — 
Roman  Catholic  and  Protestant  Churches  all  consolidated— not  comprehen- 
sive— ousht  to  return  to  primitive  principles — a  bad  tiabit  of  the  public 
mind — tlie  true  idea  of  a  Church.  25 


CHAPTER    II. 

The  Church  described  in  the  New  Testament  as  one — proved  by  Ephesians 
iv.  4 — notice  of  Van  Uyck's  "  Christian  Union."  30 


CHAPTER    III. 

Definition  of  Sectarism — what  it  is  not — what  it  is — essentially  hostile — 
not  realized.  34 


CHAPTER    IV. 

No  necessity  for  divisions  in  our  day — apology  for  the  Continental  Reform- 
ers— reply  to  several  alleged  advantages  of  divisions  and  objections  to  unity — 
the  Word  of  God  decisive.  37 


CHAPTER     V. 

Evils  of  Sectarism — it  disobeys  a  divine  command — involves  the  conse- 
quences charged  upon  unity — produces  a  false  idea  of  the  Church — extends 
and  perpetuates  error — wastes  the  energies  of  the  Church — prevents  the  con- 
version of  the  world— is  the  most  efficient  obstacle  to  Christian  Union.      40 


XVlll  CONTENTS  . 


CHAPTER     VI. 

There  must  be  a  Comprehensive  Church — its  fundamental  principles — 
deterinined  by  the  nature  and  objects  oftlie  Church — universality  and  uni- 
ty— liberty  and  law — comproniise  and  conformity — contrast  between  the 
Comprehensive  Church  and  sectarism.  47 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Notice  of  certain  denominational  peculiarities — a  Comprehensive  Church 
for  our  age  and  country  practicable-  digression — importance  of  considering 
the  subject — a  state  of  division  a  state  of  sin — indilference  the  cause  of  its 
continuance — Christians  should  be  in  earnest  to  do  their  duty — return  from 
digression — no  existing  Christian  denominations  should  be  excluded  from 
the  Compreiieusive  Church,  neitlier  Dissenters  nor  Protestant  Episcopa- 
lians—a question  for  pious  Dissenters.  51 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Is  there  now  in  the  United  States  a  Comprehensive  Church,  combining 
into  one  harmonious  system  the  "  distinctive  peculiarities"  of  all  the  denom- 
inations?— Is  it  any  Church  of  Dissenters'? — Is  it  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  ? — a  plan  of  unity  proposed — the  writer's  apology  for  his  proposition 
— the  existing  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  proposed  as  a  basis 
of  Christian  and  Ecclesiastical  Unity — may  appear  strange — a  candid  judg- 
ment solicited.  57 


CHAPTER    IX. 

EXAMINATION   OP    THE    PKOTESTaNT    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH    AS   IT    IS. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  proposed  as  the  Comprehensive  Church 
— proposition  explicit — to  be  sustained  by  facts — Christian  and  ecclesiastical 
unity  a  solemn  subject — the  truth  sought — all  love  the  truth — the  partizan  in 
religion  the  enemy  of  God  and  man — the  reader  invited  to  look  at  the  outlines 
of  the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  (.'hurch  as  a  system  for  Christian 
and  ecclesiastical  unity — examination  to  be  distributed  through  twenty-one 
Sections.  Oi 

Section  I. — Definition  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  not  the  Church  of  Rome — it  is  not  the  Church  of  En  {land— it  is 
a  Christian  and  Protestant  American  Church — at  Unity  with  the  ancient  and 
universal  Church  of  Christ.  C5 

Section  IF. — Members.  Clergy  and  laily — always  connected  in  ecclesias- 
tical legislation  and  in  divine  worship — Bishops  commonly  distinguished 
from  the  other  clergy  by  their  title  of  oliice — all  Christians  may  be  members 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  "  79 

Section  III. — Territorial  Divisions.  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
co-extensive  with  the  United  States — all  one  Church — its  unity  represented 
in  the  General  Convention — Diockses  the  sub-divisions  of  the  whole 
Church— represented  in  Diocesan  Conventions— combination,  forraatiou, 


CONTENTS.  XIX 

(dze,  and  Episcopal  charge,  of  Dioceses — independence  of  Dioceses — present 
number  and  names  of  Dioceses  and  tlieirBishops — Parishes  the  sub-divi- 
iions  of  Dioceses — independence  and  rights  of  Parisiies — parochial  officers — 
the  territorial  divisions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  convenient  for 
unity.  80 

Section  IV. — Laws.  All  written — made  by  the  whole  Church — laws  of 
the  General  Convention — laws  of  the  Dioceses — the  election  of  wardens  and 
vestry,  and  tlie  use  of  the  clerical  dress  coiuuion  customs — liberty  in  every 
thing  not  defined  by  law — clear  laws  advantageous  for  unity.  87 

Section  V. — Government.  Democratical — representative — parish  meet- 
ings— the  original  sources  of  govermnenl — their  various  powers — how  com 
posed — elect  wardens  and  vestry — powers  and  duties  of  these  officers — an 
instituted  rector  is  chairman — elect  lay  delegates  to  the  Diocesan  Conven- 
tions. Diocesan  Conventions — their  duties  and  powers — meet  annually — 
composed  of  clergy  and  laity — mode  of  conducting  business — the  Bishop  the 
Chairman— elect  standing  committees — duties  of  these  committees — elect 
clerical  and  lay  deputies  to  the  General  Convention — Genekal  Conven- 
tion— its  duties  and  powers  to  provide  general  legislation  and  promote 
unity — composeii  of  bishops,  clergy  and  laity — meets  triennially — is  in  two 
houses,  each  has  a  veto  on  the  other,  each  equal — House  of  Bishops — how 
composed — senior  Bishop  presides — mode  of  conducting  business — House  of 
Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies — how  composed — mode  of  conducting  business — 
the  vote  by  a  division  of  orders — by  this  the  clergy  and  laity  have  a  veto 
upon  each  other — the  next  General  Convention — comments — analogy  be- 
tween the  ecclesiastical  institutions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States  and  the  civil  institutions  of  the  United  States — govern- 
ment of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  very  comprehensive — primitive — 
combining  the  three  elements,  the  Episcopal,  the  Presbyterlal,  the  Congrega- 
tional— a  just  system — broad  enough  to  unite  all  Christians.  89 

Section  YL— Ordination  and  duties  of  Ministers.  Three  orders  or  de- 
grees of  ministers — Deacons  tlie  lowest-  Presbyters  next — Bishops  the  high- 
est— rules  concerning  ordination — Candidates  for  orders — testimonials  of 
Standing  Committee — preparatory  steps  of  a  Deacon — of  a  Presbyter — of 
a  Bishop — all  promise  conformity  to  the  doctrine,  discipline  and  worship 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church— duties  of  ministers — explained  in  the 
ordinal — as  commonly  understood — scope  and  variety  of  clerical  influence — 
tlie  judgment  of  all  denominations  hero  approved.  i09 

Section  VII. — Rin-hts  of  the  Bishops  and  Clergy.  Each  order  has  a 
separate  right  in  legislation— a  right  to  fulfil  its  duty  without  restraint — ordi- 
nary rights— those  of  the  clergy  well  understood — those  of  the  Bishops  misun 
derstood— proper  to  explain— their  riuhts  all  defined  by  the  laws  of  the 
Church — no  arbitrary  official  power  of  Bishops — they  cannot  be  oppressive — 
for  several  reasons — from  the  organization  of  the  Church — they  are  subjects 
of  discipline^under  public  opinion — depend  on  the  clergy  and  laity — are 
elected  by  the  Diocesan  Conventions — subject  to  their  control — tiie  Bishops 
are  good  and  trust  worthy  men — electeti  for  this  reason — we  appeal  to  their 
character — are  thankful  for  tliem — the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  a  medium  between  extremes— invites  to  unity.  115 

Section  VIII  — Jidmission  to  the  Sacraments.  Principles  of  Church 
membership  important — two  sacraments — admission  to  Baptism — requisites 
— Belief  in  the  Scriptures — and  earnest  self  consecration  to  the  service  of 
Christ — no  requisites  beyond  the  spiritual  character  of  a  Christian — adinis- 
eion  to  the  Lord's  Supper — through  Confirmation  which  is  the  resumption  of 
the  Baptismal  obligation — Sacraments  open  to  all  true  disciples  of  Christ — 
free  as  the  Saviour's  blood— the  Church  has  no  right  to  restrict  them  from  any 
who  love  their  Lord — the  clergy  bound  to  administer  them — liable  to  punish- 
ment if  arbitrary — no  substitution  of  human  traditions  in  place  of  the  Divine 
commandments — the  sacraments  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  open  to 
all  Christians  in  our  land.  131 


XX  CONTENTS. 

Section  IX. — Creeds.  Enumeration  of  the  creeds  of  tlie  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church — in  what  respects  llie  creeds  are  obligatory  upon  the 
members  of  the  Church — the  laity — the  clergy — the  Apostles'  creed  only  to 
be  believed  and  confessed,  ex  animo— the  creeds  may  be  changed  by  the  ma- 
jority of  tbe  whole  Church  in  the  General  Convention — the  benefit  of  the 
creeds — why  the  Church  requires  any  creed — no  other  more  minute  and 
explicit  than  the  Apostles'  creed,  ought  to  be  required  for  admission  to  the 
sacraments — the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  in  regard  to 
creeds,  favorable  to  the  discovery  and  the  security  of  Christian  trulh — the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  fitted  for  the  union  of  all  Christians  who  love 
their  Lord  supremely,  and  each  other  aftectioiiately  and  forbearingly.      127 

Section  X. — Doctrine.  The  doctrine  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Churcli 
scriptural  and  practical — enumeration  of  some  prominent  doctrines — refer- 
ence to  standards — the  position  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Churcli  in  rela- 
tion to  doctrines  coimec.ted  with  the  philosophy  of  religion — the  thirty-nine 
articles — especially  the  seventeenth  article — controversies  concerning  them — 
formerly — now  ceased — benefit  of  the  controversy — history  of  the  articles — 
their  sense  in  the  English  Church — to  be  literally  and  liberally  interpreted — 
quotations  from  Bishop  Burnet  and  Bishop  White — both  Calvinists  and 
Arminians  always  in  the  English  Church — subscriptions  of  the  clergy — 
history  of  the  articles  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States — established  in  1801 — are  articles  of  peace — both  Calvinists  and  Armi- 
nians in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church — members  of  this  Church  free 
to  be  either,  and  to  discuss  tlieir  opini<ms — both  clergy  and  laity — but  the 
pulpit  is  protected  from  both — the  clergy  to  preach  only  scripture — these,  if 
they  please,  as  scripture — but  not  as  a  system — neither  Calvinism  nor  Armini- 
anism,  as  such,  may  be  advocated  or  be  condemned  in  the  pulpit — only  the 
word  of  God  to  be  preached — proved — the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  well 
arranged  to  unite  all  Christians  of  all  opposing  views  on  these  subjects.      333 

Section  XI. — Discipline.  The  Discipline  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  not  arbitrary — regulated  by  law — the  occasions  defined  by  the  Gener- 
al Convention — the  modes  by  the  Diocesan  Conventions — the  subjects — ^The 
Ministry — degrees  of  discipline — enumeration  of  offences  liable  to  disci- 
pline— prosecutors — candidates  for  orders  liable  as  laymen — mode  of  trial  of 
ministers — each  order  tried  by  peers — sentence  pronounced  by  the  Bishop — 
The  hAiTv—occasions  and  mode  of  Discipline — right  of  appeal — first  to  the 
Bishop — then  to  a  special  Ecclesiastical  Diocesan  court — Discipline  of  tlie 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  rather  merciful  than  austere — defended — open 
to  improvement — present  principles  just — proper  to  an  all-embracing  Church. 

142 

Section  XII. — Public  Worship.  In  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  by 
prec  jmposed  formularies — shall  not  discuss  their  propriety — -the  substance 
of  them  generally  approved  and  admired— reference  to  an  answer  to  some 
objections — generally  used  by  dissenters  in  England — not  in  this  country — 
but  preferred  by  most  of  the  pious  and  intelligent  dissenting  clergy,  and  by 
many  laymen  in  our  country — the  festivals  and  fasts  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church  observed  in  many  denominations — the  reading  of  the  Bible  with- 
out note  or  comment  in  public  worship  becoming  more  common  in  other  de- 
nominations—also the  responsive  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  responsive 
worship  better  understood — the  Liturgies  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Ohurch 
under  the  control  of  the  ('liurch — may  be  changed  by  a  majority — in  the 
General  Convention — to  any  extent— even  to  abrogation — subject  of  changes 
sometimes  discussed — when  necessary  or  generally  desired  will  be  accom- 
plished— those  who  love  uniformity  or  order  of  some  sort  in  pubhc  worship, 
may  be  united  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  148 

Section  yilli.— Rights  of  the  Laity.  Arrangement  under  a  single  view 
of  previous  observations— the  Laity  an  order  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church — their  rights  in  parishes — rights  in  Diocesan  Conventions — rights 
in  tiie  standing  committees— rights  in  the  General  Convention— rights  of 


CONTENTS.  XXI 

Church  membership— rights  in  ecclesiastical  trials  of  discipline — rights  of 
full  and  perpetual  self-protection — their  peculiarity  as  a  constituent  order  in 
the  Church  insisted  upon— the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  worthy  of  the 
approbation  of  all  Christians.  .  155 

Section  X\V.— Baptism.  The  meaning-  of  Baptism— explained  in  the 
27th  Article — the  Baptismal  service  to  be  interpreted  by  this  Article — doc- 
trine compared  with  the  standards  of  the  Methodist,  the  Presbyterian,  and 
the  Congregational  Churches — the  mode  of  Baptism— Immersion  or  alfu- 
sion — adults  and  infants — requisites  for  Baptism — witnesses  for  adults — 
sponsors  for  children — duties  of  witnesses  and  sponsors — Baptism  followed 
by  conlirmation — will  be  shewn  to  meet  the  views  of  all  Christians.        159 

Section  XV. — Covfirmation  the  Sequel  or  Complement  of  Infant  Baptism. 
Confirmation  follows  Baptism — reasons  forthisrule — the  riteof  admission  to 
the  Lord's  supper — no  new  obligation  assumed  in  it — the  re-assumption  of 
the  Baptismal  obligation— analogous  in  part,  to  the  "  owning  of  the  Christian 
Covenant"  in  other  denominations— some  grounds  on  which  Confirmation 
is  defended — special  consideration  of  the  relation  of  Confirmation  to  infant 
Baptism — Baptism  implies  voluntary  confession  of  Christ  after  faith — Infant 
Baptism  imperfect  without  some  rite  attached  to  it,  as  a  sequel,  for  adult 
confession— Confirmation  this  rite — supported  by  legal  analogies— this  the 
view  of  the  P.  E.  Church — proved — importance — a  part  of  a  Comprehensive 
System — the  P.  E.  Church  differing  from  all  Dissenting  Churches  on  tills 
subject — and  reconciling  them  — the  foregoing  principles  applied  to  the  system 
of  Pedo-Baptists  dissenting  churclics — which  are  faulty— may  be  reformed 
by  the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church — applied  to  the  views  of 
Baptist  Dissenters— confirmation  shown  to  be  rfe/act«  adult  baptism — may 
be  by  immersion — Baptists  may  consistently  with  their  principles  unite  witli 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church — an<l  even  present  their  children  to  the 
Lord  in  the  ordinance  of  infant  baptism  in  the  P.  E.  Church — objection  an- 
swered—our view  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  Congregational  system  of 
Baptists — Confirmation,  being  de  facto  adult  Baptism,  is  in  harmony  with  a 
de  facto  ministry,  and  de  facto  sacraments,  such  as  Baptists  acknowledge 
and  maintain — the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  well  qualified  to  unite  both 
Pedo  Baptist  and  Baptist  Dissenters,  and  thus  to  restore  the  unity  of  the 
Church  of  Christ.  106 

Section  XVI. — The  Supper  of  the  Lord.  The  meaning  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Churcli — a  commemoration  of  the  love 
of  Christ — proved  from  standards — Qualifications  for  the  Lord's  Supper — 
whatsoever  may  be  included  in  a  worthy  discipleship  of  Christ — proved  from 
standards — the  views  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  commend  them- 
selves to  all  Christian  people  of  every  denomination.  180 

Section  XVII. — Literary,  Educational,  Benevolent,  and.  Missionary  .Bsso- 
ciations.  Literary  Institutions — etmmeration  of  some — for  Males  and  Fe- 
males— no  General  Education  Society — Diocesan  Education  Societies — sub- 
ject of  Christian  Education  under  the  consideration  of  the  General  Conven- 
tion— General  Sunday  School  Union — Diocesan  and  Local  S.  S.  Societies- 
General  Theological  Seminary — Diocesan  Theological  Seminaries — no  Gen- 
eral Bible  and  Tract  Societies — various  Diocesan  Bible  and  Tract  and 
Common  Prayer  Book  Societies — American  Bible  and  Tract  Societies — 
various  Diocesan  Benevolent  Societies — various  Diocesan  Missionary  Soci- 
eties— City  Mission  Societies — the  General  Missionary  Society — notice  of  its 
constitution — great  Evangelical  principles  asserted  in  it — its  operations — 
money  collected  and  expended  by  it — its  principles  such  as  to  win  the  assent 
of  all  Christians.  190 

Section  XVIIl. — Liberty.  Replies  to  several  enquiries — liberty  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church — to  join  voluntary  and  benevolent  societies — 
to  form  associations  for  religious  improvement — to  offer  extemporaneous 
prayers — to  engage  in  social  meetings  for  religious  purposes — to  make  special 
efforts  for  the  good  of  si luls— statement  of  a  grand  principle  of  liberty  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church— this  Church  therefore  dear  to  all  friends  of 
religious  liberty.  199 


XXll  CONTENTS. 

Skction  XIX. — Idaptiveness.  The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  adaptive 
to  all  circumstances  of  society,  and  all  the  temperaments  and  habitudes  of 
men — thus  proved  a  true  Church — accordant  with  the  design  of  the  Church — 
importance  of  adaptiveness — folly  of  establishing  a  Church  on  ditferent 
principles — necessity  of  adaptiveness  ilhistiatfd — the  opposite  of  adaptive- 
ness a  fundamental  error  in  sectarism — lessons  from  the  history  of  the  past — 
the  Church  may  not  forbid  any  thing,  and  may  use  every  thing,  but  sin — 
objections  answered — no  evils  resulting  from  adaptiveness  in  tlie  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church — such  evils  cannot  exist  in  it — illustrated — the  writer's  ad- 
vice to  his  Christian  brethren — a  word  to  Episcopalians — the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  founded  on  the  most  expansive  principles.  202 

Section  XX. — Religious  Devotion  and  Action.  Two  tests  of  a  Church — 
Religious  Devotion — formularies  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church — high 
spirituality — order  of  services — holy  men  of  the  Church — distinction  between 
the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and  other  systems  for  the 
production  of  devotion — Religious. Iction — variety  and  arrangement  of  evan- 
gelical subjects — in  connexion  with  liberty — and  with  adaptiveness — the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  the  revival  Church  of  the  United  States — 
working  of  the  system — such  a  Church  should  be  dear  to  all  true  Christians. 

210 

Section  XXI. — Comprehensive  Traits.  If  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
be  the  Comprehensive  Church,  it  becomes  the  duty  of  all  Christians  to 
unite  themselves  with  it — extent  of  this  duty — a  recapitulation  of  the  various 
comprehensive  traits  elucidated  in  the  preceding  Sections — the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  proved  to  be  the  Comprehensive  Church — the  only  Church 
founded  successfully  and  completely  upon  the  maxim  of  the  primitive  and 
Apostolical  Church — there  are  few  even  of  its  own  members  who  under- 
stand its  comprehensiveness — this  Church  not  originated  by  human  wisdom 
or  accident — it  is  a  system  provided  by  the  gracious  providence  of  the  Lord, 
for  the  Christian  and  Ecclesiastical  unity  of  all  His  disciples.  222 


CHAPTER    X. 

Conclusion — mode  in  which  our  subject  has  been  treated— the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  comprehensive — none  other  like  it — duty  of  uniting  with 
it — another  aspect  of  this  Church — enumeration  of  certain  principles  pre- 
liminary to  the  exhibition  of  it — the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  a  platform 
on  which  Christians  may  meet  and  perfect  a  plan  of  unity — this  proved — 
the  means  of  unity  are  provided  if  Christians  will  use  them — the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  capable  of  infinite  modification — invites  all  Christiana 
to  unite  in  it  and  modify  it  as  they  please — objection  answered — the  system 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  further  opened — a  beautiful  and  grand 
scheme— argument  concludtd — sin  of  negligence  on  this  subject — a  call  to 
unity — true  unity — deprecation  of  false  unity — advantages  of  true  unity — 
call  upon  the  laity — call  upon  the  clergy— necessity  of  efl'ort  and  of  self-deni- 
al in  the  matter— these  the  evidences  of  Christian  character — our  plan 
submitted  to  the  candid  judgment  and  honest  decisions  of  the  Christian 
public.  227 

Appendix,    -  -       -  .       .       -       -       -       243-304 


CHRISTIAN   UNITY 


ECCLESIASTICAL    UNION 


"  I    BELIEVE  IN  THE  HOLY  CAfHOLIC  CHURCH  } 
I     BELIEVE   IN    THE   COMMUNION    OF    SAINTS." 

Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

The  Apostles'  Creed. 


THE 


COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 


CHAPTER   I. 

No  Christian  liilion  without  ecclesiastical  unity— a  Comprfehensive  Church 
apparently  impracticable — desired  by  all— one  to  be  proposed  in  this  vol- 
ume—principles of  unity  in  the  apostolical  and  primitive  Church— Roman 
Catholic  and  Protestant  Churches  all  consolidated,  not  comprehensive — 
ought  to  return  to  primitive  principles— a  bad  habit  of  the  public  mind — 
the  true  idea  of  a  Church. 

The  little  work  here  addressed  to  the  Christian  pub- 
lic, proposes  a  plan  of  union  to  the  various  denomi- 
nations of  Christians  in  our  country.  The  writer  is 
convinced  that  Christian  union  can  never  be  effected 
iexcept  upon  some  plan  of  ecclesiastical  unity — some 
system  of  a  Church  broad  enough  to  allow  all  sincere 
and  humble-hearted  disciples  of  our  Lord  to  unite 
upon  it,  a  comprehensive  system,  which  shall  combine 
naturally  and  harmoniously  the  chief  peculiarities  of 
the  various  denominations  in  our  land. 

At  first  sight,  it  seems  impossible,  that  a  model  of  a 
Church  can  be  proposed,  which  shall  bring  together 
into  one  the  systems  which  now  conflict — the  very 
"distinctive  peculiarities"  which  have  hitherto  sepa- 
rated sects.     If  however  a  model  like  this  referred  to 

3 


26       THE     COMrREHENSIVIi      CHURCH. 

can  be  found,  it  will  commend  itself,  of  course,  to  the 
consideration  and  approval  of  all  Christian  people  ; 
for  we  are  fain  to  believe,  none  are  desirous  to  perpetu- 
ate the  unhappy  dissensions  of  the  religious  commu- 
nity, and  all  would  be  glad  to  further  any  plan  which 
warrants  a  reasonable  expectation  of  unity.  Such  a 
model  will,  in  due  time,  be  proposed  in  this  volume. 

The  grand  principles  upon  which  the  apostolical  and 
primitive  Church  was  organized,  seem  to  have  been 
all  embodied  in  that  familiar  but  noble  maxim  :  "  In 
necessariis  unitas ;  in  non  necessariis  libertas ;  in 
omnibus  caritas — unity  in  essentials  ;  liberty  in  non- 
essentials ;  love  in  every  thing."  As  far  as  we  can 
learn  from  the  history  of  the  New  Testament,  and 
from  the  topics  discussed  in  the  writings  of  the  earli- 
est fathers,  and  from  the  few  historical  records  of  the 
first  centuries,  this  maxim  appears  to  have  been  very 
fully  and  beautifully  illustrated. 

But  the  desire  of  power  so  natural  to  man,  began 
directly  to  manifest  itself,  and  the  principles  embodi- 
ed in  that  maxim  were  soon  departed  from,  and  the 
long  history  of  the  Christian  Church,  from  a  very  early 
period,  has  proved  the  folly  and  the  danger  of  leaving 
the  true  principles  of  its  organization.  From  that 
period  to  the  present,  there  has  been  a  valuable  lesson 
taught  to  them  who  will  receive  it.  Would  that  the 
lesson  may  be  profitably  learned !  It  is,  that  there 
must  be  a  unity  in  the  Christian  Church,  and  this 
must  be  unity  in  essentials  ;  and  that  to  attempt  to  go 
beyond  this  and  accomplish  unity  in  non-essentials,, 
is  inevitably  to  destroy  the  purity  and  the  glory  of  the 
Church,  and  to  mti-oduce  the  most  lamentable  evils^ 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  27 

The  lesson  has  been  exemplified  most  clearly,  although 
differently  in  the  two  great  epochs  of  ecclesiastical 
history — that  which  preceded  the  Protestant  Reforma- 
tion, and  that  which  has  followed  the  Reformation,  it 
has  been  exemplified  first  in  the  history  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  and  next  in  that  of  Protestant  Chris- 
tendom, as  we  will  briefly  elucidate. 

It  is  evidently  a  scriptural  truth,  that  the  Church 
must  be  "  one  body,"  both  in  respect  of  its  external 
unity,  and  of  its  internal  unity  ;  and  this  truth  has 
been,  acknowledged  as  a  practical  and  necessary  prin- 
ciple, by  Christians  of  every  name  and  in  every  age, 
the  present  as  well  as  the  past.  But  the  fault,  in  the 
case  of  Protestants  and  Roman  Catholics,  alike,  has 
been,^  thai,  their  idea  of  unity  has  been  erroneous  and 
excessive  ;  that  they  all  have  aimed  at  too  much  unity  ; 
that  in  their  conceptions  they  have  substituted  con- 
solidation for  unity  ;  and  instead  of  striving  to  form 
simply  an  united  Church,  that  they  havebeen  continu- 
ally striving  to  make  a  consolidated  Church.  Thus 
if  the  mind  of  Christendom  had  always  adhered  to  its 
first  principles,  and  had  never  forgotten  that,  in  order 
to  have  '  unity  in  essentials,'  there  must  always  be  al- 
lowed '  liberty  in  non-essentials,'  the  monstrous  and 
long  continued  scheme  connected  with  the  Papacy, 
would  never  have  been  originated,  or  if  it  had  been 
possibly  originated,  it  could  never  have  been  consurn- 
mated.  The  whole  scheme  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  was  a  legitimate  creation,  a  gradual  result,,of 
the  false  conception  of  unity.  The  Roman  Catholic 
Church  was  not  an  united,  but  a  consolidated  Church. 
So,  too,  if  Protestants  (at  least  in  the  second  genera- 


28        THE       COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

tion  after  the  reformation)  had  gone  back  to  primitive 
principles,  and  had  never  persisted  in  their  attempts, 
each  to  compel  the  others  into  an  exact  agreement 
vi^ith  itself,  upon  points  not  indispensable  to  the  great 
end  of  the  Church — the  preservation  and  extension  of 
gospel  truth,  and  the  conforming  of  Christ's  disciples 
to  his  image — there  never  would  have  been  the  divis- 
ions which  have  sullied  the  lustre  of  Protestantism. 
The  countless  and  conflicting  sects  of  an  age  in  other 
respects  free,  are  the  immediate  products  of  the  same 
false  conception  of  unit3^  Each  sect  is  not  an  united, 
but  a  consolidated  Church. 

Is  it  too  late  to  return  to  first  principles  ?  Is  there 
no  wisdom  in  the  history  of  the  past,  which  we  may 
apply  to  the  benefit  of  the  present  age?  Ought  not 
the  effort  at  consolidating  the  Church  to  be  immedi- 
ately and  forever  abandoned,  when  the  experience  of 
of  ten  centuries  of  Papal  supremacy,  and  that  of 
three  centuries  of  Protestant  dissension  have  given 
their  common  and  conclusive  testimony,  that  the  ef- 
fort is  not  only  abortive,  but  ruinous  ?  Cannot  the 
Church  once  more  have  true  unity,  and,  in  its  future 
experience,  be  ever  warned  to  its  safety  by  the  two 
fold  teachings  of  the  past  ? 

In  the  view  of  the  writer  there  is  a  fundamental 
difficulty,  which,  it  would  seem,  needs  only  to  be  ex- 
posed in  order  to  be  removed  ;  and  it  is,  that  the  idea 
of  a  Comprehensive  Church,  is,  in  our  day,  a  new 
idea.  We  have  been  so  much  in  the  habit  of  looking 
at  Churches  through  the  medium  of  sectarian  prepos- 
sessions, that  the  idea  seems  complicate  and  difficult 
of  apprehension.     The  habit  of  the  whole  communi- 


THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH-.         29 

ty,  through  the  influences  of  sectarian  education,  is 
invariably  to  associate  contractedness  with  the  men- 
tion of  a  Church,  to  suppose  that  there  can  be  no 
such  thing  as  an  ecclesiastical  organization,  except  it 
be  exclusive  and  arbitrary.  This  is  a  bad  habit ;  and  it 
is  not  one  of  the  least  evils  of  sectarism,  that  it 
has  wrought  such  a  mistake  upon  the  public  mind. 
We  wish  our  readers  to  lift  themselves  above  this 
habit,  to  form  in  their  minds  clearly  the  thought  that 
there  can  be  a  Comprehensive  Church. 

What  is  a  Church  ?  It  is  an  association  of  all  the 
true  disciples  of  Christ,  acknowledging  His  gospel 
for  their  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  of  every  variety 
of  personal  opinion  and  talent  and  temperament  and 
condition.  To  our  mind  the  very  name  of  a  Church 
suggests  the  most  comprehensive  idea.  But  the  habit 
of  the  great  community  is  different,  and  we  lament 
the  fact.  The  object  of  a  Church  is  the  continuing 
and  extending  of  the  worship  and  service  of  God,  ac- 
cording to  the  Gospel ;  and  when  this,  the  only  object 
of  an  ecclesiastical  system  is  effected,  all  other  things 
should  be  left  in  the  liberty  of  nature.  A  Church 
founded  upon  these  principles,  is  the  only  one,  we 
confess,  which  commends  itself  to  our  sympathies ; 
and  we  cannot  acknowledge  one  which  rests  upon  a 
narrower  foundation,  as  illustrating  the  true  idea  of  a 
Christian  Church.  We  believe  there  is  truth  as  well 
as  beauty  in  the  pious  philosophy  (partially  quoted  on 
our  title  page)  of  the  eloquent  Lactantius,  where  he 
writes  :  "  The  only  Catholic  or  universal  Church  is 
that  which  retains  the  true  cultus.     This  is  the  foun- 


30         THE     COMPREJIENSIVE      CHURCH. 

tain  of  truth,  this  is  the  home  of  faith,  this  is  the  tem^ 
pie  of  God. 

But  since  there  are  many  associations  of  separatists 
who  all  think  that  themselves  are  especially  Christians, 
and  each  of  whom  thinks  that  his  own  is  the  Catholic 
Church,  let  it  be  known,  that  only  that  is  the  true 
Church,  in  which  are  confession  and  penitence,  and 
which  is  able  to  cure  the  manifold  sins  and  sufferings 
to  which  the  imbecility  of  the  flesh  is  subject." 

One  mark  of  a  true  Church  must  always  be  its  com- 
prehensiveness ;  and  for  this  characteristic,  which 
qualifies  it  for  the  accomplishment  of  Christian  unity, 
we  love  the  ecclesiastical  system  to  which  the  patient 
attention  of  the  reader  will  be  presently  solicited. 


CHAPTER    II 


The  Church  described  in  the  New  Tesiament  as  one— proved  by  Ephesiano 
4:  4,— notice  of  Van  Dyeli's  "  Christian  Union." 

It  is  proper  to  remind  the  reader,  in  the  very  begin- 
ning of  our  reasonings,  that  there  is  but  one  Church 
recognized  in  the  scriptures,  and  that,  in  the  apostolic 
age,  there  was  no  such  person  known  as  a  Christian, 
who  was  not  a  member  of  this  one  Church  ;  the  terms 
were  then  synonymous.  When  at  the  very  first,  the 
doctrines  of  Christ  were  preached,  and  men  became 
converts  to  his  faith,  we  learn,  that  "  the  Lord  added 


THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.        31 

to  the  Church  daily  such  as  should  be  saved,"  (Acts 
2:  47,)  and,  at  the  close  of  his  long  and  laborious 
life,  St.  Paul  writes  to  the  Christian  believers  :  "  We 
are  a^Z baptized  into  one  hody,'^  (I  Cor.,  12:  13,)  and 
he  tells  us,  in  many  passages  of  his  epistles,  that  "  the 
Church  is  the  body  of  Christ,"  (Eph.,  1:  23.  Coloss., 
1:  24.     1  Cor.,  12:  27.) 

To  dwell  upon  only  a  single  passage,  which  is  deci- 
sive, and  is  enough,  as  the  word  of  God,  to  compel 
our  assent,  we  refer  to  that  which  is  our  motto  :  "  There 
is  one  body."  (Eph.  4:  4.)  St.  Paul  was  exhorting 
the  Ephesian  disciples  to  Christian  unity  :  "  I  there- 
fore, the  prisoner  of  the  Lord,  beseech  you,  that  ye 
walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith  ye  are  called, 
with  all  lowliness  and  meekness,  with  long  suffering, 
forbearing  one  another  in  love,  endeavoring  to  keep 
the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace."  This 
exhortation  he  enforces  by  several  powerful  considera- 
tions :  "  there  is  one  body,  and  one  spirit,  even  as  ye 
are  called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling  ;  one  Lord,  one 
faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is 
above  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  you  all."  There 
are  no  less  than  seven  reasons,  supposed  to  be  famil- 
iar and  admitted,  for  the  enforcement  of  Christian 
unity.  At  the  head  of  these  stands  our  motto, 
"  there  is  one  body." 

There  was  then,  but  one  Church  recognized  by 
these  Ephesian  disciples,  and  in  this  fact  was  a  con- 
straining motive  to  unity.  The  phrase  "  one  body," 
has  reference  to  the  external  organization  of  the 
Church,  its  outward  union  and  discipline ;  for  the 
word   "  body"  is  never  employed  in  reference  to  any 


32        THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

internal  emotion  or  affection  ;  and  besides,  it  is  fol- 
lowed by  the  assertion  :  "there  is  one  spirit,"  as  a  sepa- 
rate and  independent  idea.  For  still  another  reason 
it  cannot  mean  "  one  body"  in  respect  of  affection,  be- 
canse  the  fact  of  there  being  "one  body"  is  adduced 
for  the  very  purpose  of  recommending  an  unity  of 
affection,  and  there  would  be  no  argument  at  all,  if 
the  apostle  is  supposed  to  say  :  "  Be  ye  all  united  in 
affection,  because  ye  are  all  united  in  affection."  St. 
Paul  was  never  so  weak,  so  inconsistent,  as  this.  The 
phrase  refers  to  the  external  unity  of  the  Church,  and 
thus  the  argument  has  great  force  :  "  There  is  one 
body,  that  is,  one  Church — -Christ  intends  to  have 
only  one  body,  and  his  disciples  must  therefore  keep 
the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace,  and 
not  divide  or  rend  the  one  body  by  dissensions, 
and  thus  thwart  the  purpose  of  Him  who  is  the  one 
Head  over  all  things  to  this  Church  which  is  the  body." 
Thus  this  passage  is  unanswerable  evidence  that  in 
the  inspiration  of  St.  Paul  there  is  not,  and  ought  not 
to  be,  but  one  outward  visible  Church.* 

*  The  writer  lias  supposed  that  the  principle  maintained  in  this  chapter 
will  be  generally  aclinovvledged ;  and  accordingly,  although  the  principle 
is  fundamental,  he  has  deemed  it  unnecessary  to  occupy  any  considerable 
space,  in  the  body  of  his  treatise,  with  its  further  elucidalion.  Jf  any  of 
his  readers  are  desirous  to  test  the  principle  farther,  or  have  doubts  as  to  its 
propriety,  they  are  requested  to  peruse  an  elaborate  and  demonstrative  argu- 
ment upon  it,  in  the  appendix.  No.  A.  The  extract  is  from  an  interesting 
and  valuable  work  on  "  Christian  Union,"  by  the  late  Abraham  Van  Dyek, 
counsellor  at  law,  of  Coxsackie,  New  York. 

It  seems  to  us,  that  the  work  here  alluded  to,  has  never  elicited  that  atten- 
tion from  the  Christian  public  which  its  high  merit  demands.  We  would 
call  attention  to  it  and  recommend  its  perusal.  The  writer  is  not  informed 
as  to  the  denomination  with  which  Mr.  Van  Dyek  was  connected.  He  is 
represented,  in  a  brief  "  sketch  of  his  life"  prefixed  to  his  volume,  as  "  deci- 
dedly what  is  commonly  called  a  Calvinist,  though  he  was  by  no  means  big- 
oted— he  was  eminently  a  Bible  Christian."  He  seems  to  have  been  a  de 
voted  friend  of  Christ  and  the  Church  ;  and  the  remark  that  "  he  was  emi- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.         33 

Reminding  the  reader,  tliat  the  sacred  scriptures 
recognize  but  one  Comprehensive  Church,  and  that 
what  the  inspired  apostles  and  founders  of  the  Church 
maintained  as  great  principles  of  duty,  have  lost  none 
of  their  force,  by  the  lapse  of  time  or  by  the  preva- 
lence of  discords  (for  "  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass 
away,  but  my  word"  says  the  Lord,  "  shall  not  pass 
away,")  we  invite  him  still  to  accompany  us  in  the 
further  course  of  our  reflections. 

nently  a  Bible  Christian"  is  fully  proved  by  his  volume.  The  leading  prin- 
ciples maintained  in  his  volume  are  purely  Catholic,  and  are  established 
unanswerably. 

Perhaps  the  reason  why  his  work  has  not  been  more  effective,  is  a  defect 
in  its  plan,  which  is  stated  and  accounted  for  in  the  following  passages — (pp. 
398,  203:)  "as  has  been  already  intimated,  we  have  not  enumerated  all  the 
means  which  we  believe  adapted  to  accomplish  the  reunion  of  the  friends 
of  Christ.  We  have  specified  what  may  rather  be  called  the  incipient  meas- 
ures to  prepare  the  minds  of  Christians  to  adopt  those  of  a  more  decisive 
and  effective  character,  bearing  more  directly  upon  the  final  result.  Possi- 
bly a  form  of  governtnent  may  be  adopted  for  the  united  Church  different 
from  any  that  now  e.xists  in  any  of  the  denominations.  The  time  surely 
has  not  now  come,  to  attempt  to  settle  this  and  the  matter  of  rituals."  In 
this  view  we  think  he  was  mistaken.  We  do  not  think  that  any  progress 
can  be  made  towards  Christian  union  e.xcept  upon  the  basis  of  an  united 
Church.  We  believe  that  the  community  is  already  prepared  and  waiting 
for  a  discussion  of  the  question:  what  shall  be  the  former  the  model  of  this 
united  Church '!  And  we  agree  with  the  lamented  author  most  unhesita- 
tingly, where  (at  pp.  205 — 207,)  he  writes  with  so  much  of  force  and  per- 
suasiveness; "The  point  of  duty,  we  repeat,  is  exceedingly  clear.  The 
state  of  the  Church  is  wrong.  She  is  divided,  but  ought  to  be  united.  She 
was  one  as  originally  constituted,  she  will  bo  one  in  heaven, — and  Christians 
of  every  denomination  believe  that  she  will  be  one  again  on  earth.  When- 
ever that  shall  take  place,  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  her  reunion  will 
have  been  previously  removed,  in  the  providence  of  God,  we  admit,  but  not 
by  the  e.xercise  of  his  miraculous  powers.  This  is  not  expected  by  any. 
The  work  will  have  been  done  by  human  instrumentality.  It  must  be  done 
by  Christians.  It  is  moreover  a  present  duty.  How  can  we  allege  that  we 
may  lie  still  until  the  more  fnrniidable  obstacles  are  removed,  when  it  is  our 
duty  to  remove  them  ourselves  without  delay,  and  when  we  have  no  au- 
thority to  command  another  to  remove  them  lor  us?  Nothing  can  be  gain- 
ed by  postponing  the  commencement  of  the  work;  for  the  evil  is  mean- 
while increasing,  and  the  difficulties  are  multiplying.  The  time  to  set  about 
the  correction  of  an  evil,  is  when  you  become  sensible  of  its  existeace." 


CHAPTER    III. 

Definition  of  Sectarism — what  it  is   not— w  Iiat  it  is — essentially  hostile — 
not  realized. 

The  word  of  God  declares  that  there  is  not,  and 
ought  not  to  be,  but  one  Church.  We  propose  to 
shew  that  only  one  Church  is  necessary  ;  and  indeed, 
that  more  than  this  one,  or  rather  that  divisions  of 
this  one,  prevent  entirely  the  fulfilment  of  the  objects 
of  the  Church.  We  propose  then  to  shew,  what 
would  otherwise  have  been  appropriate  in  this  place, 
the  principles  upon  which  the  one  outward  and  visible 
body  of  Christ — the  one  Comprehensive  Church, 
must  be  organized. 

In  the  mean  time,  we  wish  to  illustrate  in  the  pres- 
ent chapter,  that  which  is  the  opposite  of  the  one 
Christian  Church,  to  define  what  is  meant  by  secta- 
rism. 

What  is  sectarism  ? 

It  is  not  diversity  of  religious  opinions.  This  may 
co-exist  with  unity. 

It  is  not  diversity  of  religious  customs.  This  may 
co-exist  with  unity. 

It  is  not  the  association  of  "  elective  affinities" — 
i.  e.  the  intimate  communion  of  persons  of  similar 
habits  and  feelings  and  characters.  This  may  co-ex- 
ist with  unity. 

It  is  simply  a  departure  from  the  unity  of  Christ's 


fllE     COJIPREttENSlVE      CHURCH.         oi) 

one  Church,  a  forming  of  a  new  fellowship  of  believ-' 
ers  separate  from  the  united  fellowship  of  the  previ- 
ously existing  body  of  believers,  the  establishment  of 
a  new  model  of  a  Church. 

No  body  of  men  can  be  called  sectaries  in  any 
reprehensible  sense,  until  they  have  proceeded  beyond 
protestation  and  even  beyond  non-communion,  to  the 
overt  act  of  constructing  a  new  Church.  In  this  is 
the  essence  of  sectarism  ;  the  rending  or  dividing  of 
the  "  one  body"  of  Christ,  by  the  formation  of  another 
and  (not  only  separate  but  in  its  nature  necessarily) 
opposing  ecclesiastical  organization. 

Sectarism  originates  in  a  most  gross  and  grievous 
rnisapplication  and  abuse  of  the  scriptural  principle, 
and  the  natural  desire  of  unity.  It  looks  for  absolute 
unity,  in  disregard  of  the  causes  which  limit  the  ope- 
ration of  the  social  principle.  It  tends  to  continual 
separation,  to  allow  the  most  exact  assimilation.  It 
looks  for  agreement  in  all  things;  and  when  carried 
out  in  theory,  as  it  is  carried  out  in  fact,  it  would 
make  each  man  the  single  representative  of  his  own 
sect,  whose  unity  would  be  an  unit. 

Contrariety  or  opposition,  hostility,  destf uctivenesS 
towards  others,  are  included  in  the  very  nature  of 
sectarism,  as  may  be  easily  proved.  For,  there  is  but 
"  one  body."  The  sect  is  the  model  of  this  ond 
body.  The  sect  is  the  perfect  model ;  for  if  any  oth- 
er had  been  perfect,  there  had  been  no  occasion  for 
it.  All  other  Churches  are  defective,  unfit  to  accom- 
plish the  legitimate  objects  of  the  Church  of  Christ ; 
so  much  so,  that  all  the  inconveniences  and  dangers 
of  an  universal  change  are  to  be  encountered  in  ordef 


36        T  H  E      COMPREHENSIVE      C  H  U  U  C  H  . 

to  supply  the  deficiency.  All  others,  being  so  defec- 
tive, should  be  abandoned  for  the  perfect  model — 
should  be  destroyed. 

It  may  be  denied,  that  hostility,  as  we  have  represent- 
ed it,  is  implied  in  the  very  nature  of  a  sect.  It  may 
be  said,  that  sects  are  not  opposed  to  each  other,  but 
exist  harmoniously,  one  being  adapted  to  one  class  of 
human  opinion  and  character,  and  others  to  other 
classes.  But  all  this  adaptation  of  circumstances  to  the 
varieties  of  human  opinion  and  personal  character 
may  be  found  in  unity ;  so  that  for  it,  sects  are  not  ne- 
cessary. And  why  must  there  be  anew  ministry,  and 
new  sacraments,  and  a  new  Church,  and  new  terms 
of  admission  into  it,  and  of  communion  with  it  1 
And  why  may  not  a  man  join  one,  without  being  oblig- 
ed to  abandon  the  others  ?  And  why  may  he  not  be 
a  member,  in  regular  standing,  of  two  or  more  sects 
at  the  same  time,  as  he  is  of  all  separate  local  socie- 
ties or  Churches  of  his  own  sect?  Because  sects 
have  no  reciprocal  sympathies  with  each  other,  al- 
though Christians  have.  Because  although  Christians 
desire  to  love  each  other,  the  sects,  which  hold  them 
captive,  are  hostile. 

This,  as  we  have  described  it,  is  sectarism,  and 
these  its  consequences.  Yet  we  do  really  believe, 
that  the  great  majority  of  the  Christian  people  of  our 
land  have  never  troubled  themselves  to  analyze  the 
matter,  and  have  not  realized  the  consequences  im- 
plied in  their  sectarian  divisions. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

No  necessity  of  divisions  in  our  day— apology  for  the  Continental  Refor- 
mers— reply  to  several  alleged  advantages  of  divisions,  and  objections  to 
unity — the  word  of  God  decisive. 

There  is  no  necessity,  either  of  duty  or  of  circum- 
stances, in  our  age,  and  in  our  country,  for  sectarian 
divisions.  Tiiere  is  no  reason  why  there  should  be 
more  than  one  Comprehensive  Church,  at  this  time, 
in  the  United  States. 

We  do  not  intend,  in  these  pages,  to  dispute  the 
point,  whether  there  ever  has  been  a  necessity  for  di- 
visions in  times  past;  although  we  are  willing  to  state 
our  opinion,  that,  if  the  full  scope  of  the  duties  of 
Christian  forbearance  and  of  faith  in  the  providence 
and  promises  of  God  be  considered,  divisions  can  in 
no  case  be  excused.  But  God  forbid  that  we  should 
blame  the  Continental  Reformers  !  They  were  Chris- 
tian heroes  and  had  glorious  hearts.  They  were  men 
who  felt  that  they  had  a  great  work  to  do  ;  and  they 
were  willing,  for  its  accomplishment,  to  "  jeopard  their 
lives  unto  the  death."  No  wonder,  if  in  their  agoniz- 
ing impatience  for  the  triumph  of  truth  and  liberty, 
they  did  sometimes  err.  They  were  men,  who,  like 
"  the  three  mighty"  of  David,  were  willing  to  dare 
thick  hosts  alone,  for  the  Captain  of  their  salvation ; 
and  if,  in  a  single  case,  like  those  valiant  ones,  these 
purchased  a  blessing  too  dearly,  we  must  remember 


38         THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURC  it. 

for  their  justification,  that  these  also  had  heard  the; 
voice  of  their  Captain  saying  sorrowfully:  "Othat 
one  would  give  me  drink  of  the  water  of  the  well  of 
Bethlehem  !" 

But  granting  for  the  occasion,  that  in  the  Reforma- 
tion there  was  a  necessity,  in  the  instances  referred 
to,  for  a  departure  from  the  unity  of  the  Church  (and 
only  on  this  plea  of  an  absolute  and  unavoidable  ne- 
cessity did  the  Continental  Reformers  excuse  their 
proceedings,)  we  assert  that,  in  our  age  and  country, 
there  is  no  sufficient  cause  nor  apology  for  perpetua- 
ting the  divisions  which  are  rending  the  body  of 
Christ.  The  word  of  God  commands  unity,  and 
there  can  be  no  possible  good  to  counterbalance  the 
evil  of  disobedience. 

Not  to  enlarge,  however,  upon  the  authority,  (one^ 
be  it  remembered,  of  tremendous  significance,  and 
decisive  upon  the  topic,)  it  will  be  in  order  to  allude 
to  the  position,  that  various  good  effects  are  inciden- 
tally accomplished  by  the  diversities  of  sects.  We 
can  conceive  of  none  which  shall  warrant  the  viola- 
tion of  a  divine  command. 

Besides,  there  is  abundant  reason  to  believe,  that 
these  incidental  advantages  of  schism,  which  arfe  so 
much  boasted  of,  may  after  all  be  accomplished  to  a 
much  greater  extent  in  a  state  of  unity. 

Thus,  for  an  illustration,  the  preservation  of  the 
integrity  of  the  scriptures,  which,  some  think,  is  aid- 
ed by  the  opposition  and  watchful  jealousy  of  sects, 
might  be  eiqually  secured  by  unity ;  for  in  a  state  of 
sectarian  controversy  there  are  multiplied  temptations 
to  pervert  and  corrupt  the  scriptures.     The  zealous 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.  39 

sectarian,  who  should  discover  some  ancient  and  rare 
manuscript,  might  destroy  it  or  change  it  to  suit  his 
purpose — a  circumstance  which  would  not  be  so  like- 
ly to  happen  in  a  state  of  unity.  Indeed  biblical 
scholars,  who  are  familiar  with  the  collation  of  the 
various  readings  of  the  New  Testament  manuscripts, 
know  that  the  chief  difficulties  in  settling  the  sacred 
text  have  been  occasioned  as  often  by  the  corruptions 
of  sectaries  as  by  the  emendations  of  critics,  or  the 
negligence  of  scribes. 

Thus,  to  take  another  illustration,  the  zeal  which 
is  said  to  be  the  product  of  divisions,  is  often  pervert- 
ed into  extravagance  and  superstition,  and  still  oftener 
overmatched  by  the  coldness  and  scepticism  which  are 
another  product  of  the  same  divisions ;  while  the  his- 
tory of  the  first  three  centuries  shows  that  the  most 
active  and  heroic  zeal  is  perfectly  compatible  with  the 
unity  of  the  Church. 

Thus,  too,  the  tyranny,  which  is  said  to  be  the  ef- 
fect of  unity,  is  much  more  the  effect  of  divisions. 
Over  our  whole  country  are  the  mournful  proofs.  The 
tendency  of  sects  is  to  imprison  men  within  the  most 
straitened  limits  of  the  most  straitened  party ;  while 
the  unity  of  an  universal  Church  requires  that  it  be 
based  on  certain  grand  and  comprehensive  princi- 
ples which  shall  include  all  varieties  and  classes  of 
men,  and  of  course  allow  necessarily  great  liberty  of 
conscience  and  action. 

We  have  not  time  to  consider  all  the  objections 
which  have  been  made  to  ecclesiastical  unity.*     We 


*  We  wish  to  remind  the  reader  as  wo  pass  along,  that  wherever  we  liave 
spoken  of  an  united  Church  or  of  ecclesiastical  unity,  we  use  the  terms  ir\ 


40         THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

have  touched  upon  the  chief  of  them.  We  would, 
however,  shut  up  all  objections  to  it,  and  comprise  all 
arguments  for  it,  within  the  broad  statement  of  the 
word  of  God:  "there  is  one  body." 


CHAPTER   V. 


Evils  of  Sectarism— it  disobeys  a  divine  command — involves  the  conse- 
quences charged  upon  unity — produces  a  false  idea  of  the  Church — ex- 
tends and  perpetuates  error — wastes  the  energies  of  the  Church — prevents 
the  conversion  of  the  world — is  the  most  efficient  obstacle  to  Christian 
union. 

The  proposition,  that  there  can  never  be  Christian 
union  except  upon  the  basis  of  ecclesiastical  unity, 
may  be  best  illustrated  by  a  brief  statement  of  some 
of  the  evils  of  sectarism. 

The  evils  of  sectarism  (it  being  what  we  have  de- 
fined in  our  third  chapter,)  are  manifold  and  appal- 
ling. We  will  notice  some  of  the  most  manifest  and 
indisputable. 

It  is  disobedience  (as  was  shown  in  our  second 
chapter,)  to  the  command  of  God. 

It  involves,  (as  was  seen  in  our  fourth  chapter,  the 
last,)  the  very  consequences  which  have  been  charged 
upon  a  state  of  unity,  corruption,  and  spiritual  cold- 
contradistinction  from  a  consolidated  Church,  we  refer  to  a  Church  organized 
upon  the  primitive  principles  alluded  to  in  our'first  Chapter.  The  princi- 
ples upon  which  the  Comprehensive  Church  must  be  organized  will  be  stated 
more  distinctly  in  our  sixth  chapter. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  41 

ness,  as  well  as  extravagant  notions  and  habits,  and 
scepticism  as  well  as  superstition,  and  tyranny.  We 
need  not  repeat  nor  extend  our  observations  upon 
these  points. 

It  produces  upon  the  public  mind  (as  was  hinted  at 
in  our  first  chapter,)  a  mistaken  and  most  injurious 
conception  of  the  nature  and  design  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

These  evils  are  each  of  vast  magnitude,  and  might 
be  illustrated  even  in  volumes.  But  others  are  to  be 
mentioned. 

It  extends  and  perpetuates  error  ;  and  this  naturally 
and  fatally.  Differences  of  opinion,  on  a  thousand 
matters  of  philosophy  or  custom,  which  in  themselves 
are  of  no  consequence  whatsoever,  are  yet  in  the  minds 
of  narrow  or  ignorant,  or  domineering  men,  made  the 
occasions  of  new  sects.  Each  sect  is  put  forward  as 
a  new  model  for  the  Church  of  Christ,  of  course,  to 
be  perpetual  and  universal.  The  very  fact  of  separa- 
tion, which  shuts  in  the  adherents  of  a  doctrine  to 
their  own  system,  and  excludes  all  the  natural  and 
tentative  influences  of  extraneous  circumstances,  upon 
them,  gives  an  artificial  and  compulsory  durability  to 
the  system.  So  that,  even  if  it  be  a  glaring  and  dan- 
gerous delusion,  which,  under  natural  and  tentative 
influences,  would  have  died  out  in  a  night,  the  pecu- 
liar point  of  distinction,  on  which  the  sect  is  fo.uttded, 
is  thenceforth  perpetuated  to  the  injury  of  the  truth, 
and  the  damage  of  souls.  The  history  of  sects  de- 
monstrates our  assertion.  There  are  the  sad  and 
goul-sickening  proofs  before  the  eyes  of  us  all. 

It  wastes  the  energies  of  the  Church.     These  might 

4* 


42  THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Otherwise  be  concentrated  upon  the  noble  support  of 
religious  institutions  at  home,  and  the  spread  of  the 
gospel  abroad.  Now  they  are  squandered  in  the 
maintenance  of  domestic  strifes.  If  all  the  Christians 
of  our  land  were  in  an  united  Church,  and  all  the 
ministers  of  the  various  denominations  were  its  minis- 
ters, we  should  then  have  ministers  enough  already 
for  all  the  portions  of  our  land  of  which  many  are 
now  so  destitute,  and  we  should  have  scores,  perhaps 
hundreds,  left  for  the  heathen.  If  all  the  money, 
which  is  paid  by  the  various  denominations  in  the 
support  of  their  domestic  clergy  and  peculiar  institu- 
tions, were  collected  into  one  sum,  there  would  be 
enough  for  the  liberal  support  of  all  those  ministers  of 
that  united  Church,  and  thousands,  perhaps  hundreds 
of  thousands,  of  dollars  left  for  the  heathen.  If  all 
the  time  and  talent  and  personal  effort  which  are 
expended  by  the  members  of  the  various  denominations 
for  objects  solely  sectarian,  were  applied  directly  to 
the  improvement  of  society,  and  the  moral  renovation 
of  the  careless  and  sinful,  there  would  be  glorious 
results,  how  glorious,  God  only  can  reveal. 

It  not  only  delays,  it  irremediably  prevents  the 
conversion  of  the  world.  The  prayer  of  our  Redeem- 
er to  the  Father,  for  his  members,  was,  "  that  they 
all  may  be  one,  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou 
has  sent  me."  And  when  Christianity  is  presented  to 
the  unbeliever,  whether  he  be  a  speculative  or  only  a 
practical  unbeliever,  and  even  if  he  have  been  educa- 
ted in  a  Christian  land,  as  a  scheme  of  divisions  and 
controversies,  he  is  confounded,  or  excuses  himself  by 
the  ready  reply,  "  God  is  not  the  author  of  confusion, 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  AS 

but  of  unity."  The  heathen,  too,  believe  that  in  reli- 
gion, as  in  all  the  works  of  God,  there  must  be  a  man- 
ifest uniformity,  and  their  systems,  although  filled  with 
corruptions,  yet  have  breadth  and  singleness,  and 
when  Christianity  is  presented  to  them  tinder  the  di- 
rection of  conflicting  sects,  can  it  appear  as  any  thing 
better  than  a  scheme  of  disputatious  philosophy,  or 
perhaps  a  weak  superstition,  more  miserable  than 
their  own  ? 

It  is  the  most  efficient  obstacle  to  Christian  union, 
that  is,  the  union  of  Christian  hearts,  affections,  sym- 
pathies, and  efforts.  Herein  is  the  deepest,  the  most 
insidious,  the  most  far-reaching  evil.  Hereby  it 
"  wounds  the  Lord  Christ  in  the  house  of  his  friends." 
It  is  impossible  that  there  ever  can  be  such  a  thing  as 
a  spiritual  unity,  a  confidential  sympathy,  a  free  and 
undoubting  and  nought-withholding  trust,  a  pure  and 
perfect  love,  and  a  healthy  and  vigorous  co-operation, 
among  those  who  are  all  contending  that  their  own 
peculiar  points  of  difference  are  sufficiently  important 
for  the  establishment  of  a  new  and  separate  Church  ; 
and  that  the  views  of  others  are  so  defective,  as  to  ren- 
der their  ecclesiastical  organizations  unworthy  of 
being  considered  proper  Churches — for  all  this  is 
implied  (as  was  shown  in  our  third  chapter,)  in  the 
separate  existence  and  organization  of  every  peculiar 
sect.  Every  sect,  in  the  very  fact  of  its  existence, 
unchurches  every  other  sect  as  well  as  the  unity  from 
which  it  separated;  for  each  sect  is  the  model  of  the 
one  Church,  and  the  very  idea  of  the  Church  is  uni- 
versality. It  is  evident,  therefore,  from  what  we  know 
of  the  philosophy  of  the  mind,  the  laws  which  regu- 


44  THE     C  O  M  P  K  E  H  E  N  S  1  V  E     C  II  U  K  C  H  . 

late  the  affections  of  men,  and  which  define  abso-r 
lutely  the  mode  in  which  those  affections  shall  be 
developed,  and  which  point  with  unerring  precision  to 
the  causes  which  check  the  free  exercise  of  human 
sympathies,  it  is  evident,  in  other  words,  from  what 
we  know  of  the  moral  nature  of  man,  that  Christians 
can  never  be  united  in  heart  and  effort,  while  they 
hold  their  ecclesiastical  connexion  with  separate  sects, 
each,  certainly  in  the  estimation  of  its  partizans,  the 
only  proper  model  of  the  universal  Church. 

And,  we  ask,  does  not  experience  every  where  in 
our  land  confirm  the  teachings  of  philosophy  ? 
Christians  are  not  united ;  they  are  very  far  from 
unity.  Why  ?  There  is  no  reason  under  heaven  but 
sect.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  Christians  in  my 
township  and  neighborhood,  and  in  your  township 
and  neighborhood,  my  Christian  brother,  are  not  now 
united,  except  sect.  We  are  all  prepared  for  union, 
and  longing  for  it,  and  we  are  only  waiting  for  the 
demolition  of  these  artificial  and  cruel  barriers  of 
merely  human,  not  to  say  diabolical,  erection.  How 
long  shall  we  sit  down  in  sadness  by  the  strange 
waters  of  our  captivity,  and  hang  the  harps  of  Zion 
upon  its  willows,  and  sigh  for  "  the  peace  of  Jerusa- 
lem"— that  city  which  is  "  at  unity  in  itself?"  O, 
that  scattered  Israel  would  return  in  bands  once 
more  to  the  quiet  home  of  their  fathers,  bringing 
with  them  the  riches  of  wisdom  which  have  been 
gathered  in  their  wanderings ;  and  rebuild  and  beau- 
tify the  one  temple ;  and  realize  again  the  fulfilment 
of  prophecy  :  "  The  glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  be 
greater  than  of  the  former,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts  i 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  45 

and  in  this  place  will  I  give  peace,  saith  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  !" 

Philosophers  are  looking  for  a  millenium  of  know- 
ledge and  social  happiness,  and  Christians  connect 
with  it,  in  their  anticipations,  a  millenium  of  holiness. 
But  one  thing  is  sure,  that  there  never  can  be  a  mil- 
lenium of  holiness,  a  glorious  spiritual  reign  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  while  sectarism  continues.  Christians  of 
pure  hearts,  who  strive  to  live  at  unity,  if  such  there 
be,  are  already  prepared  for  that  millenium,  and  all 
who  bear  the  name  of  Christ,  might  now  be  enjoying 
its  blessedness,  if  it  were  not  for  their  divisions. 
While  they  continue  divided,  they  cannot  have  per- 
fect confidence  in  each  other,  which  is  necessary  to 
perfect  love.  If  the  most  pious  out  of  all  the  denom- 
inations should  be  thrown  together,  however  much 
they  might  respect  the  religious  principle  of  each 
other,  and  desire  to  be  unreservedly  affectionate  to- 
wards each  other,  still  there  would  be  the  thought  in 
each  mind,  that  the  denominational  interests  of  his 
brethren  were  entirely  opposed  to  his  own  ;  that  his 
brethren  regarded  him  as  in  a  great  error  ;  that  he 
himself  regarded  them  as  in  an  equally  great  error ; 
that  each  was  practically  intolerant,  demanding  the 
entire  submission  of  the  others  to  his  own  terms  ;  that 
as  sectarians,  (or  members  of  different  Churches,  each 
the  model  of  the  one  Church,  and  therefore  unchurch- 
ing the  others,)  they  could  not  have  fellowship  with 
each  other,  or  even  consistently  say  so  much  as  "  God 
speed,"  to  each  other;  and  this  thought  of  their  sepa- 
ration, the  distance  between  them,  the  contrariety  of 
their  ecclesiastical  systems  to  which  each  was  consci- 


40  THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

entiously  attached,  and  whose  extension  he  was  seek- 
ing and  loving  and  praying  for — this  thought,  I  say, 
would  come  and  pass  smooth  and  cold,  like  a  flake  of 
ice,  between  their  hearts,  and  prevent  their  assimila- 
tion into  one  brotherhood.  While  their  religious 
interests  are  in  such  important  respects  hostile,  Chris- 
tians cannot  be  all,  in  the  highest  sense,  brethren. 
So  that,  if  the  gospel  banner  were  hung  out  upon 
every  sky,  and  every  man  and  woman  and  child  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  acknowledged  the  truth  of  the  Bible, 
and  the  claims  of  Christ,  just  as  the  very  best  of 
Christians  now  do,  and  all  were  communicants, 
trained  and  professing,  yet  in  a  diversity  of  sects,  as 
Christians  now  are,  after  all,  there  would  be  no  mil- 
lenium  forever  ;  for  there  could  be  no  Christian  union, 
and  without  that  there  can  be  no  glorious  reign  of  our 
Redeemer. 

We  can  conceive  of  a  class  of  readers  in  our  large 
cities,  who  will  not  appreciate  the  full  force  of  these 
last  remarks.  We  grant,  that  in  our  large  and  grow- 
ing cities,  the  most  repulsive  features  of  sectarism 
are  not  fully  developed.  There  great  masses  of  popu-r 
lation  are  collected.  As  fast  as  churches  are  built 
and  congregations  formed,  men  are  found  to  fill  and  to 
sustain  them.  Denominational  interests  do  not  cour 
flict,  and  rivalry  is  not  selfish  and  deceitful  and  mean 
and  wicked.  But  when  all  the  varieties  of  the  vast 
metropolis  are  transferred  to  a  country  district,  which 
is  barely  able  to  support  one  church,  the  state  of 
things  is  changed.  Our  distinction  is  manifest ;  we 
need  not  dilate  upon  it.  Our  own  observation  and 
experience  have  discovered  more  of  actual  evil  than 


THE     COMPRKHENSIVE     CHURCH.  47 

we  should  presume  to  declare,  if  we  were  only  theo- 
rizing. Now  the  world  is  made  up  of  the  country. 
Large  cities  are  but  small  spots  scattered  occasion- 
ally upon  its  surface.  And  we  want  a  Christian  union 
which  is  practicable  for  the  whole  world. 

We  have  dwelt  longer  upon  the  concluding  propo- 
sition in  the  present  chapter  because  it  is  more  imme- 
diately connected  with  the  direct  course  of  our  rea- 
sonings. We  wish  to  present  distinctly  to  the  mind 
of  the  reader  what  is  so  manifest  to  our  own,  the 
principle — that  Christian  union  can  never  be  effected 
except  upon  the  basis  of  ecclesiastical  unity. 


CHAPTER    V[ 


There  must  be  a  Comprehensive  Church — its  fundamental  principles — de- 
termined by  the  nature  and  objects  of  the  Church — Universality  and 
unity — liberty  and  law — compromise  and  conformity — contrast  between 
the  Comprehensive  Church  and  sectarism. 

There  must,  we  have  concluded,  be  one  Compre- 
hensive Church,  in  which  all  Christian  people  may 
be  united,  and  Christian  union  be  realized.  On 
what  fundamental  principles  shall  it  be  organized? 

These  principles  must  be  determined  by  the  nature 
and  objects  of  a  Church.  The  Church  is  the  body  of 
Christ,  to  be  filled  with  His  dispositions,  and  to  be 
guided  and  governed  by  His  Spirit.  It  is  the  repre- 
sentative of  Christ  on  earth.  It  is  to  receive  and  deal 
with  men,  precisely  as  the  Lord  Jesus  himself  would 


48  T  H  E     C  O  M  P  R  E  H  E  N  S  I  V  E     CHURCH. 

do,  if  he  were  on  earth.  It  must  welcome  to  ita 
bosom,  all  who  are  willing  to  be  taught  of  Jesus,  and 
to  bear  His  cross,  all  who  have  come  to  him  and 
acknowledge  Him  as  the  master.  It  is  to  demean 
itself  towards  men  with  all  the  gentleness  and  forbear- 
ance, with  all  the  persuasiveness  and  love,  which  dis- 
tinguished its  Head,  while  He  was  upon  the  earth. 
It  must  forgive  the  penitent,  and  discriminate  sincer- 
ity, and  put  up  with  human  ignorance  and  infirmity, 
just  as  He  did.  It  must  never  repel  any  whom  Christ 
would  not  have  repelled.  It  must  even  tolerate  preju- 
dices and  error,  if  they  be  harmless,  or  not  essentially 
in  the  way  of  human  holiness  and  salvation.*  Such 
a  Church  need  not  be  divided  ;  for  its  work  is  simple, 
and  its  rule  of  duty  is  broad — its  work  is  the  propa- 
gation of  the  truth  of  Christ,  and  its  rule  of  duty  is  the 
example  of  Christ. 

There  are  two  characteristics,  to  be  somewhat 
more  minute,  which  must  always  appertain  to  the 
body,  which  illustrates  the  true  idea  of  the  Church. 
The  one  is  universality;  that  is,  the  Church  must  be 
so  constituted,  that  it  may  take  in,  on  equal  terms, 
and  the  easiest  terms  possible  in  the  case,  all  true 
disciples  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  other  prin- 
ciple is  unity  ;  because  being  free  to  all  disciples  of 
Christ,  it  excludes  none,   and  leaves  no  necessity  nor 

*  As  illustrations  of  this  duty  of  the  Church  even  to  bear  with  error  if  it  be 
not  essentially  injurious  to  holiness  and  salvation — the  great  ends  of  the 
Church — we  refer  to  the  decree  of  the  college  or  council  of  apostles,  elders, 
and  brethren,  recorded  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts ;  also  to  the  vow 
ofSt.  Paul,  and  the  circumcision  of  Timothy.  Also  we  quote  the  principle 
(1  Corinthians  8:  9  passim:)  "take  heed  lest  by  any  means  this  liberty  of 

yours  becomes  a  stumbling-block  to  them  that  are  weak When  ye 

wound  the  weak  conscience  of  the  brethren,  ye  sin  against  Christ," 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  49 

provocation  for  division.  This  principle,  too,  is  ne- 
cessary, because  the  master  has  enjoined  it  upon  his 
disciples,  who  constitute  his  Church,  and  because 
only  by  it  can  the  new  and  great  Christian  command- 
ment be  enforced :  "  Love  one  another."* 

It  appears,  moreover,  from  the  fact  that  the  Church 
is  a  society  of  men  for  a  particular  purpose,  that  it 
must  have  law;  while,  from  the  same  fact  of  its  embra- 
cing such  extensive  varieties  of  mental  and  personal 
character  in  its  members,  it  must  also  allow  great 
liberty  of  opinion  and  action.  The  least  law  needed 
to  secure  its  objects,  and  the  greatest  liberty  in  all 
things  which  do  not  interfere  with  those  objects,  are 
also  cardinal  principles  to  be  applied  in  the  formation 
of  a  Church  which  shall  correspond  to  its  true  idea. 

In  attempting  to  settle  the  system  of  such  a  Church, 
We  see,  at  the  outset,  that  there  must  be  compromise 
in  a  thousand  comparatively  unimportant  particulars  ; 
we  mean,  particulars  for  which  individual  Christians 
may  have  preference,  but  which  are  not  really  and 
indispensably  important  to  the  grand  objects  of  the 
Church  ;  while,  as  immediately  correspondent  with 
this,  there  must  be  conformity  by  all  upon  those 
points  which  are  generally  held  important  to  the  char- 
acter   and  constitution  of  the  Church.      The  basis 

»  As  the  Churcli  is  composed  of  men,  whose  relative  circumstances  in 
different  civil  communities  must  affect  their  external  ecclesiastical  relations, 
there  are  natural  and  physical  limits  to  the  application  of  these  principles — 
the  limits  of  national  or  civil  boundaries.  Yet  even  an  actual  universality 
and  unity  for  the  whole  world  might  be  attained  were  it  possible  to  realize 
the  beautiful  conception  of  the  ancient  Church — a  continual  succession  of 
General  Councils  which  should  accurately  represent  the  sense  of  the  majority 
of  all  the  clergy  and  laity  of  the  Christian  world. 
5 


50  THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CJlUUCH. 

upon  which  the  settlement  of  the  system  shall  proceed, 
ittust  be — ^compromise  in  matters  acknowledged  by  all 
to  be  relatively  non-essentials,  conformity  in  matters 
received  by  each  to  be  essential.  Thus  both  liberty 
and  law  can  be  secured,  and  universality  and  unity 
together  be  effected. 

We  have  not  time  for  detail  in  showing  the  work- 
ing of  these  principles  towards  promoting  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  Church.  We  state  the  principles,  that 
our  reader  may  test  their  propriety  in  his  thoughts. 

We  cannot  dismiss  this  topic,  however,  without 
occupying  one  moment  in  contrasting  this,  as  we 
believe  it  to  be,  the  true  idea  of  the  Church  of  Christ 
with  the  true  idea  of  sectarism.  The  reader  is  re- 
quested to  keep  in  mind  the  definition  of  sectarism 
in  our  third  chapter. 

The  Church  is  founded  upon  unity  and  univer- 
sality. 

Sectarism  is  founded  upon  unity  without  univer- 
sality. 

The  Church  is  founded  upon  law  and  liberty. 

Sectarism  is  founded  upon  law  without  liberty. 

The  Church  is  founded  upon  conformity  and  com- 
promise. 

Sectarism  is  founded  upon  cow^oximiy  without  com- 
promise. 

The  Church,  in  its  practical  operation  produces 
forbearance. 

Sectarism,  in  its  practical  operation,  produces 
intolerance. 

The  Church  requires  practically,  from  all  its  tnern- 


THE     C  O  J\|  P  R  E  11  K  N  S  I  V  E     CHURCH.  ^J 

bers,  (and  Christ's  disciples  must  have  "  a  cross  daily,") 
some  selfi-denial. 

Sectarism  allows  practically  to  all  its  members  the 
utmost  self-indulgence. 

As  we  aim  at  brevity,  our  readers  are  requested  to 
try  for  themselves  these  points  of  contrast,  and  see  if 
they  are  not  correctly  stated.  We  wish  them  also  to 
recollect,  that  we  are  discussing  principles,  and  desire 
to  do  so  candidly  and  thoroughly,  and  withal,  we 
would  not  be  supposed  to  intend  disrespect  towards 
any  existing  denominations  in  our  land. 


CHAPTER    VII, 


Notice  of  certain  Denominational  peculiarities — a  Comprehensive  Church 
for  our  age  and  country  practicable — Digression — siniportance  of  consid- 
ering the  subject — a  state  of  Division  a  state  of  sin — indilTerence  the 
cause  of  its  continuance — Christians  should  be  in  earnest  to  do  their  du- 
ty— Return  from  digression^no  existing  Christian  denomination  should 
be  excluded  from  the  Comprehensive  Church,  neither  dissenters  nor  Prot- 
estant Episcopalians — a  question  for  pious  Dissenters. 

We  have  noticed  the  principles  upon  which  the 
Comprehensive  Church  must  be  organized.  And  we 
enquire  :  Is  the  construction  of  such  a  Church  in  the 
nineteenth  century,  and  in  the  United  States,  imprac- 
ticable? Is  there  any  natural  impossibility  or  hin- 
drance to  prevent  the  formation  of  such  a  Church 
which  may  unite  the  various  and  now  opposing  de- 
nominations of  Christians  in  our  country.  We  think 
not,     Such  a  church  jnay  be  constructed   upon  the 


52         THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

principles  which  have  been  just  laid  down,  even  if 
none  such  does  now,  as  we  believe  such  does,  exist. 
To  illustrate  our  view  : — One  denomination  holds 
that  the  apostolical  and  regular  ministry  of  the  Church 
is  in  three  orders — Bishops,  Presbyters,  and  Deacons. 
Others  are  of  the  opinion  that  any  particular  arrange- 
ment of  the  ministry  is  unimportant,  so  long  as  the 
essential  idea  of  a  ministry — or  as  with  some,  of  a 
ministry  of  Presbyters — is  preserved.  The  same  de- 
nomination holds,  that  on  certain  occasions  the  pub- 
lic use  of  a  precomposed  Liturgy  is  necessary  to  sta- 
bility, and  edification,  and  harmony  of  the  Church. 
Others  have  never  been  habituated  to  the  use  of  a 
Liturgy  on  any  occasions  ;  and  some  lay  great  stress 
upon  the  advantages  of  extemporaneous  prayers, 
and  of  various  social  meetings  for  religious  improve- 
ment. A  second  denomination  thinks  that  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Church  should  be  mainly  in  the  hands 
of  the  clergy  ;  a  third,  that  it  should  be  mainly  in  the 
hands  of  the  laity.  A  fourth  contends  that  only  adults 
should  be  baptized,  and  then  by  immersion ;  while 
others  think  that  infants  also  may  be  baptized,  and 
that  sprinkling  or  affusion  of  water  is  equally  justifia- 
ble with  immersion.  Some  contend  that  no  creeds 
should  be  required  of  men  to  admit  them  to  the 
benefit  of  the  Christian  Sacraments.  Others  sup- 
pose that  creeds  are  important  in  the  arrangements  of 
a  well  ordered  Church.  Not  to  extend  the  illustra- 
tion, it  will  be  perceived,  that  there  are  a  great  many 
points  upon  which  the  various  denominations  are 
agreed,  and  that  the  distinctive  idea  in  each  sect  is  a 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  5J 

prominence  of  some  one  particular  point  of  ecclesias- 
tical belief  or  discipline. 

Now  may  not  all  these  denominations  slide  into  one 
Church — in  which  each  man,  while  he  is  indulged 
with  his  own  favorite  system,  shall  allow  to  his  broth- 
er a  similar  indulgence — in  which  all,  while  they 
agree  to  differ  in  many  things,  shall  yet  agree  to  be 
alike  in  a  few  things?  We  think  that  we  can  be  so 
united. 

If  union  be  possible,  to  digress  a  moment,  nothing 
should  be  allowed  to  restrain  us  from  its  accomplish- 
ment; for  one  thing  is  certain — that  every  Christian, 
while  he  is  out  of  the  unity  of  Christ's  Church 
(wheresoever  that  unity  be)  is,  it  may  be  ignorant- 
ly,  in  a  state  of  sin,  he  is  violating  a  first  principle 
and  a  first  precept  of  the  New  Testament.  It  be- 
comes, then,  an  interesting  question,  nay,  it  is  a  ques- 
tion of  the  most  serious  moral  responsibility  :  How 
shall  the  unity  of  Christ's  Church  be  restored  ?  We 
ought  not  to  rest,  until  the  question  is  satisfactorily 
answered.  Alas!  there  is  an  amazing  indifference 
upon  the  public  mind  as  to  this  duty  of  unity — a  duty 
as  ejcplicitlij  enjoined  as  tliat  of  personal  holiness — a 
duty,  indeed,  whose  fulfilment  is  one  test  of  holiness, 
one  iiiark  of  a  true  Ch'istian  charaeter. 

The  chief  cause  of  this  indifference  is  in  the  fact, 
that  the  subject  is  not  enough  discussed.  The  very 
guides — the  watchmen  and  examples  of  Christ's  flock 
have  been  themselves  indifferent ;  they  have  had  so 
much  to  do  in  discussing  other  questions — perhaps  ab- 
struse and  only  in  the  philosophy  of  religion — that 
the  great  practical   duty  of  uniting  and  "  gathering 


54         THE     C  O  M  P  R  E  n  E  N  S  I  V  E     C  II  U  R  C  II . 

into  one  fold  Christ's  sheep  that  are  dispersed  abroad, 
and  his  children  who  are  in  the  midst  of  this  naughty 
world"  has  been  overlooked. 

Our  desire  is  to  call  up  this  question  for  discussion 
—  not  a  little  narrow  question  of  sectarianism,  but  the 
great  question  of  scriptural  unity.  It  is  time  to  pro- 
pose a  plan  of  ecclesiastical  unity  ;  it  is  time  to  dis- 
cuss the  plan  directly  and  fully.  We  have  been  dis- 
cussing for  years  all  around  this  great  question  : 
What  shall  be  the  plan  ?  as  if  we  were  afraid  of  it. 
We  have  been  lamenting  over  our  discords.  Now  let 
us  go  to  work  in  earnest  at  the  great  final  and  deci- 
sive question.  The  world  will  then  give  us  credit  for 
sincerity.  And  if  we  are  really  in  earnest  we  shall 
soon  have  a  scheme  that  will  suit  us  all. 

Returning  from  our  digression,  and  reminding  the 
reader  of  the  conclusion  to  which  we  had  arrived — 
that  it  is  possible  to  unite  all  the  existing  Christian 
denominations  of  our  country  into  one  Church,  we 
wish  to  lead  his  mind  to  the  same  conclusion  by  yet 
another  short  path — by  suggesting  the  question  :  Shall 
any  of  the  existing  Christian  denominations  of  our 
country  be  excluded  from  the  Comprehensive  Church? 

Shall  any  one  of  the  denominations  of  dissenters* 
be  excluded  ? 

Of  course,  they  will,  in  answering  each  for  them- 
selves, say,  they  ought  not,  any  of  them  to  be  exclu- 

*  For  the  sake  of  avoiding  a  tedious  and  lengthy  circumlocution,  the  va- 
rious denominations  of  Christians,  which  differ  from  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  are  alluded  to  occasionally  in  this  volume  under  the  general 
name  of  dissenters— a  title  of  familiar  and  appropriate  use,  and  which,  we- 
wish  it  to  be  understood,  we  employ  most  respectfully  ;  for  we  think  sincere- 
ly, as  did  the  late  venerable  Bishop  White,  that  "  there  appears  respecta- 
bility in  the  plea  of  conscientious  refusal." 


THE      C  O  RI  P  R  ET  H  E  N  S  1  V  E      CHURCH.  55 

ded.  And  we,  as  a  Protestant  Episcopalian,  say,  they 
have  answered  rightly  ;  they  ought  not  to  be  excluded 
— for  every  disciple  of  Christ  (according  to  the  theo- 
ry of  the  P.  E.  Church)  should  be  welcome  to  all  the 
privileges  of  his  Church. 

Shall  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  be  excluded  1 
We  suppose  that  Protestant  Episcopalians  are  to  be 
included  in  any  plan  of  Christian  unity;  for  they  are 
Christians  and  Protestants  ;   and,  if  so,  their  peculiar 
traits    must  be  found  in  the   united  Church.     They 
are  willing  to  compromise,   if  need  be,  in  a  thousand 
matters  comparatively  unimportant.     But  they  wish  to 
be  considered,  and  expect  to  be  indulged  in  what  they 
hold  to  be  essential   to  the   constitution   of  a  regular 
Christian   Church.     And  they   ought,   upon  the  fair 
principles  of  Union,  to  be  so  considered  and  indulged, 
certainly  when   others  believe  their  ministry  to  be  es- 
sentially sound,  or  at  least  look  upon  their  peculiari- 
ties  as  among  the  matters   of  indifference.     This  in- 
ference,   that  in  the   united   Church  there   must  be  a- 
recognition    of  their  main  peculiarities,  is   unavoida- 
ble, if  they  are  to  be  included  in  the  plan  of  union. 
And  shall  they  be  excluded  ?    Shall  a  body  of  protest- 
ant  Christians,  so  extensive,  and  having  in  it  so  much 
of  intelligence,  and  learning,  and  piety,  as  is  acknowl- 
edged  in  their   case,   be  excluded   from  the  plan  of 
unity,  be   unchurched  by  the   brethren,  not  more  in- 
telligent nor  more  learned  nor  more  pious,  simply  be- 
cause they  are  conscientiously  persuaded  that  a  min- 
istry of  three  orders  is  apostolical  and  scriptural,  and 
that  the  use  of  a  Liturgy  on  certain  public  occasions 
is  primitive  and  reasonable,  while  all  the  time,  too, 


56  THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

their  brethren  look  upon  these  matters  of  their  con* 
science  as  non-essentials  ?  Surely,  they  must  be  inclu* 
ded  in  the  plan  of  unity. 

The  reader  will  recollect  that  it  was  stated,  in  our 
sixth  chapter,  and  illustrated  in  a  note,  by  several 
scriptural  examples,  to  be  the  duty  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  even  to  tolerate  prejudices  and  error,  if  they 
be  harmless,  or  not  essentially  in  the  way  of  human 
holiness  and  salvation.  To  apply  this  principle,  as 
supported  by  the  examples  there  adduced,  to  the  uni- 
ty of  the  Church,  we  argue — that  if  any  are  very 
strenuous,  conscientiously  persuaded,  on  some  point 
not  deemed  essential  by  others,  then  it  is.  the  duty  of 
the  free  to  bear  with  the  weakness  or  error  of  their 
brethren,  and  indulge  them.  Thus,  if  Protestant 
Episcopalians  are  conscientiously  persuaded  of  the 
necessity  of  three  orders  to  a  regular  ministry  (and  in 
fact,  this  is  the  only  point  to  be  pressed,  the  use  of  a 
Liturgy  not  being  held,  even  by  Episcopalians,  to  be 
essential  in  the  theory  of  an  Episcopal  Church,)  and 
if  others  recognize  in  their  orders  the  essential  idea 
of  a  ministry,  but  hold  its  three-fold  character  unim- 
portant, would  not  the  scriptural  principle  and  prece- 
dents here  referred  to,  warrant  and  indispensably  re- 
quire the  retention  of  the  three  orders  in  the  united 
Church?  IVould  not  the  Church  thus  be  adapted  to 
more  minds,  we  further  urge,  without  losing  any  thing 
essential  to  its  objects  ?  These  questions  are  worth 
the  consideration  of  all  Christians.  They  admit  but 
one  answer. 

There  is  another  question  for  pious  dissenters : 
Since  Protestant  Episcopalians  have  never  set  up  a 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  57 

new  Church,  but  have  always  continued  in  the  unity 
of  the  old,  improving  and  adapting  it  to  the  wants  of 
society,  and  since  they  are  willing  to  be  at  one  with 
all  Christian  people,  if  there  be  no  effort  to  form  an 
united  Churchy  in  which  their  conscientious  peculiar- 
ities shall  be  considered  and  incorporated,  who  will 
be  responsible  for  the  sin  of  continuing  the  divisions 
of  the  body  of  Christ? 

We  conclude,  that  all  the  existing  Christian  de- 
nominations of  our  country  may  be  and  ought  to  be 
united  into  one  Comprehensive  Church. 


CHAPTER   VIII, 


Is  there  now  in  the  United  States  a  Comprehensive  Church,  combining  into 
one  harmonious  system  the  "  distinctive  peculiarities"  of  all  the  denomi- 
nations "! — Is  it  any  Church  of  dis  centers  1 — Is  it  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  7 — A  plan  of  Unity  proposed — the  writer's  apology  for  his  propo- 
sition— the  existing  system  of  the  P.  E.  Church  proposed  as  a  basis  of 
Christian  and  ecclesiastical  unity — may  appear  strange — a  candid  judg-- 
ment  solicited. 

Granting,  now,  for  the  purpose  of  our  argument,, 
that  all  the  denominational  Churches  in  our  country.- 
stand  upon  exactly  the  same  level,  as  regards  the  vex- 
ed question  of  divine  right,  and'  touching  simply  the 
question  of  their  expediency,  or  rather  of  their  prac- 
ticability for  the  particular  object  of  uniting  the  divi- 
ded Church,  we  ask;  Is  there  any  Church  now  exist- 
ing amongst  us,  which  shall  supply  to  our  hands  the- 
instrumentalities   we  need  ; — any,  capable   of  receiv-* 


58         T  HE     C  Q  M  P  R  E  II  E  N  S  I  V  R      CHURCH. 

ing  us  all  liberally,  and  without  subjecting  any  of  u& 
to  unnecessary  humiliation,  and  capable  of  being  it- 
self reformed,  or  changed,  or  improved  into  just  such 
a  system  as  we  all  shall  be  willing  to  sustain  ?  Which 
of  all  the  denominational  Churches  is  best  qualified 
for  the  purposes  of  unity  ?  Which  is  the  Comprehen- 
sive Church  ? 

Is  it  any  one  of  the  various  ecclesiastical  systems 
of  dissenters  ? 

We  think  not ;  because  as  appears  to  us,  they  are 
none  of  them  founded  upon  the  principles  which  have 
been  laid  down,  in  our  sixth  chapter,  as  necessary  to 
such  a  Church ;  because  they  are  in  many  respects 
organized  so  as  to  be  essentially  in  distinct  contrarie- 
ty to  each  other ;  and  especially,  because  they  all, 
without  any  exception,  have  made  no  provision  for 
such  an  arrangement  of  the  ministry  as  Protestant 
Episcopalians  think  to  be  essential  to  the  regular  con- 
stitution of  a  Christian  Church.  We  are  stating  our 
view  frankly ;  yet  we  would  not,  on  any  account,  be 
rash  nor  unkind.  If  our  views  are  erroneous,  we 
shall  be  glad  to  see  them  disproved. 

Is  it  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  ? 

We  think  it  is ;  because,  in  its  system,  those  points 
which  its  oicn  members  hold  essential,  and  ivhich  are 
not  pvonided  for  in  any  other  system,  are  distinctly  re- 
cognized ;  and  because  ihose  points  which  are  held  es- 
sential by  the  various  other  denominations  are  also  disz. 
tinctly  recognized  and  amply  provided,  for,  in  its  sys- 
tem. These  remarks  will  be  illustrated  at  length  ia 
our  next  chapter. 

To  speak  plainly  at  once,  the  writer  believes,  that 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  59 

in  the  existing  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States,  there  is  comprehensive- 
ness enough  for  the  purposes  of  an  universal  Chris- 
tian and  ecclesiastical  unity  in  our  country. 

So  peculiar  has  been  the  influence  of  circumstan- 
ces, that  few,  if  any  out  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  have  ever  viewed  it  in  this  character  as  fur- 
nishing a  basis  or  platform  upon  which  Christians 
may  unite.  And  it  is  feared,  that  few  even  of  Epis- 
copalians have  clear  views  of  the  comprehensiveness 
of  their  own  Church. 

The  writer,  as  appears  from  the  title-page,  is  a  conl- 
municant  and  a  minister  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  and  in  this  fact  he  finds  his  warrant  for  enga- 
ging in  his  present  task  ;  for  he  thinks,  that  a  mem- 
ber of  his  Church  has  (for  the  reasons  just  hinted  at, 
and  which  will  presently  be  expanded)  an  advantage 
in  proposing  and  discussing  the  plan  of  unity  over  the 
members  of  other  denominations.  He  would  not  be 
undefstood  to  say,  that  the  members  of  his  Church 
have  generally  more  enlarged  views  of  this  subject 
than  other  Christians.  It  is  too  true,  that  there  are 
many,  who,  in  the  midst  of  divisions  have  nourished 
a  sectarian  spirit.  Yet  such,  he  does  not  hesitate  to 
say  have  not  imbibed  the  spirit  of  their  own  system, 
which  has  no  sympathy  with  any  thing  that  is  narrow- 
ing or  exclusive  or  despotic.  We  should  be  most  un- 
happy, if  we  thought  ourselves  in  a  Church,  from 
which  any  true  disciple  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is 
excluded,  if  we  did  not  know,  that  in  its  very  organi- 
zation every  other  true  disciple  of  our  Master  is  wel- 
come to  all  our  privileges,  however  he  may  differ  from 


60  THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH, 

US  in  opinion  or  talent  or  temperament  or  condition; 
nay  more,  if  he  were  not  welcome  to  demean  himself 
as  he  may  please,  (always  of  course  being  a  Christian) 
free  in  his  diversity. 

For  the  sake  of  furthering  the  great  duty  and  the 
great  blessing  of  Christian  unity,  our  design,  in  this 
little  book,  is  to  exhibit  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  as  it  is.  We  shall  not  open  the  volumes  of 
the  Fathers,  we  shall  not  search  antiquity,  we  shall 
not  argue  for  the  apostolical  succession  of  Bishops 
nor  for  the  primitive  establishment  of  Liturgies  ;  we 
do  not  intend  to  rake  open  the  ashes  of  buried  con- 
troversies, nor  to  add  another  brand  to  any  fire  of  con- 
tention which  is  now  raging.  We  simply  invite  the 
Christians  of  our  country,  who  long  for  unity  and  for 
a  pure  paternal  sympathy  among  brethren,  to  forget, 
for  a  moment,  that  they  have  ever  been  at  variance, 
and  to  lay  aside  the  unfavorable  and  prejudicial  asso- 
ciations of  past  disagreements,  and  to  examine  with  a 
candid  spirit,  the  system  which  we  propose.  We  as- 
sert distinctly,  that  in  the  system  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  as  it  is,  there  are  instrumeyitali- 
ties,  diversijied  and  expansive,  for  the  union  of  alt 
Christian  people  in  "  one  body  and  one  spirit ;  that  it 
is  broad  enough  to  maintain,  in  one  fellowship,  both 
external  and  internal,  all  true  disciples  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  We  assert,  that  in  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  are  the  elements  of  the  most  exact  uni- 
formity, as,  also,  of  the  most  extensive  variety. 

Our  assertion  may  sound  strangely,  but  those,  who 
"will  favor  our  book  with  a  candid  perusal,  shall  find  it 
sustained.     All  we  ask  is,  that  our  system  shall  be 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  61 

fairly  and  liberally  examined.  If  it  be  not  what  we 
represent  it,  we  shall  be  happy  to  be  rightly  informed. 
Our  aim  is  unity.  We  propose  a  plan  for  its  accom- 
plishment, and  desire  to  elicit  the  whole  truth  which 
concerns  it.  We  are  grieved  and  wearied  with  the 
consequences  of  division.  On  every  side  are  brethren, 
who  might  be  one  with  us  and  with  each  other,  but  we 
are  all  separated  by  artificial  walls — barriers  never 
appointed  of  God,  barriers  of  merely  human  con- 
struction, barriers  always  and  even  laboriously  kept 
high  and  strong,  but  for  whose  existence  and  perpe- 
tuity there  is  not  the  least  reason  in  the  world.  True 
it  is,  that  Christians  mourn  over  their  divisions  ;  we 
should  all  rejoice,  our  land  would  resound  with  halle- 
hijahs,  if  we  could  all  wake  on  the  morrow,  and  find 
ourselves  united  indeed  in  one  Comprehensive  Church. 
But  alas!  our  divisions  exist;  and  how  shall  we  be 
made  one? 

Where  is  the  Comprehensive  Church  1 
Let  us  examine,  without  prejudices  for  or  against  it, 
the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  as  it  is.  If  it  be  feasible  as  a  plan  of 
unity,  let  it  be  embraced.  If  not,  let  its  faults  be 
shewn,  and  let  a  better  be  substituted. 

6 


CHAPTER    IX. 

EXAMINATION    OF    THE    PROTESTANT    EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH,    AS    IT    IS. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  jiroposed  as  the  Comprehensive  Churcli 
— proposition  explicit — to  be  sustained  by  facts — Christian  and  ecclesias- 
tical unity  a  solemn  subject — the  truth  sought — all  love  the  truth — the  par- 
tizan  in  religion  the  enemy  of  God  and  man — the  reader  invited  to  look  at 
the  outlines  of  the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  as  a  system 
for  Christian  and  ecclesiastical  unity — examination  to  be  distributed 
through  twenty-one  Sections. 

We  propose  the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church  in  the  United  States,  ns  it  is,  for  a  basis 
of  Christian  and  ecclesiastical  unity  to  all  the  Chris- 
tian people  in  our  country.  We  propose  it  to  their 
approval  as  the  Comprehensive  Church. 

Our  proposition  is  broadly  and  explicitly  stated  ; 
and,  if  we  fail  in  sustaining  it  by  good  reasons,  our 
imprudence  will  be  signally  manifest.  But  we  know 
the  ground  we  stand  upon,  and  feel  no  necessity  for 
speaking  cautiously  or  with  qualification.  Further- 
more, our  proposition  is  to  be  sustained  by  facts,  and 
not  merely  by  abstract  disquisition,  so  that  we  cannot 
be  sophistical  if  we  would. 

On  such  a  subject,  however,  as  this  which  has  occa- 
sioned our  little  book,  we  feel  that  there  is  too  much 
of  solemnity  to  allow  any  thing  but  frankness,  too 
much  of  responsibility  to  make  any  thing  else  safe. 
We  desire,  as  an  accountable  witness,  and  bound  by 


T  II  U     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  G3 

as  high  as  a  judicial  oath,  to  tell  "  the  truth,  the  whole 
truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth."  We  wish  our 
statements  to  be  deliberately  weighed  ;  and  if  there 
be  other  evidence,  which  may  rebut  or  modify  or  dis- 
prove them,  we  hope  that  it  will  be  produced. 

We  presume,  that  our  readers  love  the  truth,  and 
will  be  rejoiced  to  find  it,  even  if  it  be  discovered  in 
a  strange  place,  and  by  a  stranger.  Indeed,  there  is 
but  one  supreme  interest  to  us  all,  although  the  infe- 
rior and  sectarian  do  continually  make  us  forget  it ; 
and  it  is — to  know  the  truth ;  and  he,  who  by  any  act 
of  unfairness,  would  delay  or  prevent  the  triumph  of 
the  truth,  is  trifling  with  both  the  present  and  the  ev- 
erlasting happiness  of  his  fellows,  and  is  endangering 
his  own  soul.  God  forbid  we  should  any  of  us  be 
partizans  in  religion  !  To  be  a  partizan  in  religion, 
that  is,  to  hold  any  favorite  tenet  or  custom  with  a  te- 
nacity of  self-love,  or  in  a  manner  which  may  be  pos- 
sibly inconsistent  with  the  freest  elucidation  of  truth 
— it  is  to  have  the  thoughtless  heart  of  idiocy,  or  the 
reckless  heart  of  madness,  or  rather,  it  is  to  have  no 
heart  at  all.  It  is  tlie  most  heartless  insensibility  to 
the  blessedness  of  God's  truth,  by  which  alone  man 
can  be  made  happy  and  God  be  glorified.  It  is  to  be 
dead  to  all  the  willing  condescension  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus, and  to  all  the  voluntary  humility  of  the  Holy 
Spirit, — the  precious  and  untold  sacrifices  of  the 
Godhead — that  we  might  have  the  truth.  The  parti- 
zan in  religion  is  the  great  co-worker  with  the  powers 
of  darkness,  the  enemy  of  God  and  man. 

Presuming  that  these  sentiments  are,  as  they  ought 


64         THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

to  be,  reciprocated  by  the  reader,  we  proceed  to  an 
examination  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States /"or  one  special  purpose — to  discover 
whether  it  he  not  a  system  capable  of  uniting  the  sep- 
arated denominations  of  Christians  into  one   Church. 

In  conducting  this  examination,  we  shall  not  ad- 
vance the  private  theories  or  speculations  of  any  in- 
dividuals who  are  or  have  been  connected  with  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  Individuals  alone  are 
responsible  for  their  peculiar  views.  Neither  shall  we 
exhibit  all  the  minute  details  of  the  system  ;  for  a 
treatise  so  extensive  would  be  inconsistent  with  our 
design  and  our  limits. 

We  shall  look  at  the  outlines  of  the  system.  We 
shall  mark  its  main  proportions,  with  which  all  the 
minute  arrangements  must  harmonize. 

Ahet  giving,  1st,  a  Definition  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  we  shall  de- 
velope  the  fundamental  principles  of  its  organization, 
under  the  several  following  sections :  2.  Members, 
3.  Territorial  Divisions,  4.  Laws,  5.  Government, 
6.  Ordination  and  Duties  of  Ministers,  7.  Rights  of 
the  Bishops  and  Clergy,  8.  Admission  to  the  Sacra- 
ments, 9.  Creeds,  10.  Doctrine,  11.  Discipline,  12. 
Public  Worship,  13.  Rights  of  the  Laity,  14.  Bap- 
tism, 15.  Confirmation,  the  sequel  or  complement  of 
Infant  Baptism,  16.  The  Supper  of  the  Lord,  17. 
Literary,  Educational,  Benevolent,  and  Missionary 
Associations,  18.  Liberty.  19.  Adaptiveness,  20. 
Religious  Devotion  and  Action,  21.  Comprehensive 
Traits. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  65 


SECTION     I. 

DEFINITION"    OF   THE     PROTESTANT   EPISCOPAL     CHURCH    IN   THE    UNI- 
TED  STATES. 

It  is  not  the  Churcli  of  Rome— it  is  not  the  Church  of  Enjland— it  is  a  Chris- 
tian and  Protestant  American  Church — at  Unity  with  the  ancient  and  uni- 
versal Church  of  Christ. 

What  is  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  ? 

I.  It  is  not  the  church  of  Rome,  nor  does  it  hold 
any  connexion  or  communion  with  that  Church.  Its 
standards  of  prayer  and  its  articles  of  faith  are  all  fra- 
med with  a  direct  reference  to  a  protest  against  the 
errors  and  anti-catholic  claims  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

For  our  educated  readers,  and  others  who  have  been 
at  all  acquainted  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
the  above  assertion  is  sufficient;  but  as  many  per- 
sons, otherwise  intelligent,  who  have  never  been*  fa- 
miliar with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  have 
a  vague  idea  of  something  papistical  about  it,  we  are 
induced,  for  the  benefit  of  such  to  explain  a  little  fur- 
ther. 

The  19th  Article  of  Religion  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  reads,  in  its  latter  clause,  thus  : 
"  As  the  Church  of  Ilierusalem,  Alexandria,  and  An- 
tioch,  have  erred;  so  also  the  Church  of  Rome  hath 
erred,  not  only  in  their  living  and  manner  of  ceremo- 
nies, but  also  in  matters  of  faith." 

The  name  of  "  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church" 
should  be  sufficient  to  absolve  it  from  all  suspicions  of 

6* 


66  THiB     COMPREHENSIVE     CIIUHOH. 

being  inclined  to  the  peculiarities  of  the  Church  of 
Rome. 

In  the  Homilies,  which  by  the  35th  Article,  are 
'*  declared  to  be  an  explication  of  Christian  doctrine, 
and  instructive  in  piety  and  morals,"  there  are  fre- 
quent rebukes  of  the  various  errors  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  and  sometimes  in  terms  which  the  "  ears  po- 
lite" of  a  modern  audience  could  not  tolerate.* 

It  is  well  to  remind  the  reader  that  Cranmer,  and 
Latimer,   and  Ridley,  and  Hooper,  and  Farrar,  and 

*  To  select  a  passage  not  so  harsh  as  some  others,  yet  decisive  upon  the 
point,  we  quote  from  the  28tli  Homily— tlie  IGlh  of  the  Snd  Book  : 

"It  is  needful  to  teach  you,  fust,  what  tlie  true  Church  of  Ulirist  is  ;  and 
then  to  confer  the  Church  of  Rotuc  therewith,  t^  discern  how  well  they 
agree  together. 

The  true  Church  is  .^n  universal  congregation  or  fellowship  of  God's  faith- 
ful and  elect  people,  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  Apostles  and  Prophets, 
Jesus  Christ  himself  being  tlie  Head  Corner  Stone.  And  it  hath  always 
three  notes  or  marks,  whereby  it  is  known:  Pure  and  sound  doctrine;  the 
sacraments  ministered  according  to  Christ's  holy  institution;  and  the  right 
use  of  ecclesiastical  discipline.  This  description  of  the  Church  is  agreeable 
both  to  the  scriptures  of  God,  and  also  to  the  doctrine  of  the  ancient  Fa- 
thers ;  so  that  none  may  justly  find  fault  tlierewith. 

Now  if  you  will  compare  this  with  the  Church  of  Rome — not  as  it  was  in 
the  beginning,  but  as  it  is  at  present,  and  hath  been  for  the  space  of  nine  hun- 
dred years  and  odd — you  shall  well  perceive  the  state  thereof  to  be  so  far 
wide  from  the  nature  of  the  true  Clmrch  that  nothing  can  be  more.  For 
neither  are  they  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  re- 
taining the  sound  and  pure  doctrine  of  Christ  Jesus  ;  neither  yet  do  they  or- 
der the  sacraments,  or  else  the  ecclesiastical  keys  (discipline,)  in  such  sort  as 
he  did  first  institute  and  ordain  tliem  ....  (proofs  of  the  three  charges  are  ur- 
ged) ....  which  thing  being  true,  as  nil  they  which  have  any  light  of  God's 
word  must  needs  confess,  we  may  well  conclude,  according  to  the  rule  of  Au- 
gustine (contra  Petilian.  Donatist.  Ep.  Cap.  4.)  that  tlic  Bishops  of  Rome  and 
their  adherents  arc  not  the  true  Church  of  Christ,  much  less  then  to  be  taken 
as  chief  heads  and  rulers  of  the  same.  Whosoever,  saith  he,  do  dissent  from 
the  scriptures  concerning  the  head,  although  they  be  found  in  all  places 
Where  the  Church  is  appointed,  yet  are  they  not  in  the  Clmrch :  a  plain  place, 
concluding  directly  against  the 'Church  of  Rome." 


THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.  G7 

Other  distinguished  martyrs,  were  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Bishops ;  and  that  John  Rogers  of  famous  memo- 
ry, and  Lawrence  Saunders,  and  Bradford,  and  Tay- 
lor, as  well  as  others  who  gave  their  testimony  to 
Protestantism  in  the  midst  of  the  flames,  were  minis- 
ters of  a  lower  grade  (Presbytel's)  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church ;  and  that  the  most  distinguished 
writers  against  the  Roman  Catholic  scheme,  inclu- 
ding, with  these  just  mentioned,  such  men  as  Barrow, 
and  Chillingworth,  and  Hooker,  and  Jeremy  Taylor, 
and  Leslie,  and  Jewell,  and  of  our  own  day,  Mr.  Fa- 
ber,  have  been  ministers  likewise  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church. 

It  has  become  very  much  a  fashion  now-a-days  to 
designate  the  Church  of  Rome  as  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  to  call  its  members  and  its  dognias  by  the  name 
of  Catholic ;  and  uninformed  persons  are  therefore 
frequently  surprised,  while  attending  on  the  worship  of 
Protestant  Episcopalians  to  hear  them  declare  as  one 
of  the  articles  of  their  belief  or  Creed  :  "  I  believe 
in  the  Holy  Citholic  Church."  Now,  in  this  phrase 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  expresses  a  belief  in 
the  Holy  Catholic  (i.  e.  universal)  Church,  or,  as  it  is 
elsewhere  expressed  in  her  daily  prayers,  "  the  Holy 
Church  universal — all  who  profess  and  call  themselves 
Christians  ;"  and  not  in  the  narrow  and  exclusive 
scheme  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Indeed  in 
the  use  of  this  phrase  the  Episcopal  Church,  which 
carries  the  name  of  Protestant  as  a  part  of  its  very 
title,  unequivocally  denies  to  the  Church  of  Rome 
(against  whose  errors  the  protest  is  made)  all  right  to 


(58         THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH, 

the  name  of  Catholic,  and  by  implication  attributes  to 
it  a  character  directly  opposite  to  that  of  the  Holy 
Catholic  Church  in  which  a  belief  is  professed.  It  is 
to  be  regretted,  that  language  is  employed  so  loosely, 
and  that  by  men  who  ought  to  know  better,  and  who 
do  know  better,  as  not  only  to  convey  a  false  mean- 
ing, and  to  corrupt  our  language,  and  to  injure  the 
reputation  of  a  distinguished  Protestant  Church  in  the 
opinions  of  the  uninformed,  but  even  to  extend  and  to 
perpetuate  grievous  error  of  opinion  in  the  commu- 
nity.* 

We  may  further  state,  that  a  grand  principle  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is — the  primitive  and 
absolute  co-equality  of  Bishops;  and  hence  this 
Church  can  never  have  any  sympathy  with  the  Church 
of  Rome,  which  seeks  to  elevate  one  Bishop  to  a  vast 
height  above  all  others.  It  may  be  affirmed,  without 
fear  of  disproof,  that  Protestant  Diocesan  Episcopacy 
is  the  strongest  barrier,  that  can  be  reared,  against 
the  principle  of  the  Papacy  ;   for,  in  all  other  systems 

*  It  may  not  be  generally  known,  tliat  tlie  Roman  Catholics  found  an  argu- 
ment, very  effective  among  the  ignorant,  for  their  claim  of  being  the  infalli- 
ble and  true  Church,  upon  this  very  fact,  that  even  Protestants  call  ihcm 
"Catholic."  Bishop  Burnet,  on  the  19th  Article,  referring  to  Cardinal  Bel- 
larmine's  assertions,  writes  thus:  "  The  last  way  they  (the  Roman  Catho- 
lics) take  to  find  out  this  (true  and  infallible)  Cliurch  by,  is  from  some  notes, 
that  they  pretend  are  peculiar  to  her,  such  as  the  name  Catholic,  &c.,  togeth- 
er with  ihe  confession  of  their  adversaries."  In  answering  this  argument, 
the  Bishop  proceeds  :  "  Can  it  be  thought  that  the  assuming  a  name  can, be  a 
mark  1  Why  is  not  the  name  Christian  as  solemn  as  Catholic  ?  Might  not  the 
Philosophers  have  concluded  from  hence  against  the  first  Christians,  that 
they  were,  hy  the  confession  of  all  men,  the  true  lovers  of  wisdom  ;  since  they 
were  called  Philosophers  much  more  unanimously  than  the  Church  of  Rome 
was  called  Catholic?"  If  the  good  Bishop  had  lived  in  our  day  and  coun- 
try, he  could  not  thus  have  replied  to  the  argument  of  the  Romanist. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.         69 

the  natural  tendency  of  things  is  to  ecclesiastical 
monarchy — a  supreme  and  controlling  influence  and 
power  to  be  exercised,  most  absolutely  because  not 
defined  by  law,  by  the  most  crafty  or  the  most  talent- 
ed, or  the  most  experienced,  or  the  best. 

Our  remarks  might  be  extended  to  great  length  on 
this  topic,  but,  we  trust,  enough  has  been  said  to  illus- 
trate even  to  the  uninformed,  the  entire  independence 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  from  the  Church  of  Rome. 

II.  It  is  not  the  Church  of  England.  It  has  no 
connexion  in  any  respect  with  England,  nor  with  any 
other  country  whatsoever  besides  the  United  States, 
excepting  the  connexion,  such  as  it  is,  of  the  sincere 
and  earnest  Christian  sympathy  it  feels  for  the  Eng- 
lish Protestant  Church  (which  is  a  very  different  thing 
from  the  English  Government  or  the  English  Estab- 
lishment of  Church  and  State)  and  its  connexion, 
through  its  missionary  undertakings,  with  countries 
ignorant  of  pure  Christianity. 

To  be  sure,  and  we  acknowledge  the  fact  with  grat- 
itude, it  was  originated  by  members  of  the  Church  of 
England,  but  it  is  now  an  independent  Church,  just 
as  the  Congregational  Churches  of  this  country  are 
independent  of  the  Congregational  Churches  of  Eng- 
land from  which  they  originated. 

To  be  sure  it  loves  the  Church  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  England — its  sister  Church — the  Church  as 
separate  from  the  State.  But  it  has  none  of  the  in- 
cumbrances and  heavy  drawbacks  and  chains  upon  it 


70        THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

which  the  English  State  has  forced,  by  the  strong  arm 
of  secular  power,  upon  the  English  Church. 

It  is  on  terms  of  the  most  friendly  Christian  and 
ecclesiastical  communion  with  the  English  Church. 
But  it  has  no  definite  or  dependent  or  confederate 
connexion  with  the  English  Church  whatsoever. 

A  quotation  from  the  Preface  to  the  American 
"  Book  of  Common  Prayer"  will  illustrate  the  forego- 
ing remarks:  "The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
these  States  is  indebted,  under  God,  to  the  Church  of 
England  for  her  first  foundation  and  a  long  continu- 
ance of  nursing  care  find  protection.  .  .  .  But  when, 
in  the  course  of  Divine  Providence,  these  American 
States  became  independent  with  respect  to  civil  gov- 
ernment, their  ecclesiastical  independence  was  neces- 
sarily included  ;  and  the  different  religious  denomina- 
tions of  Christians  in  these  States  were  left  at  full  and 
equal  liberty  to  model  and  organize  their  respective 
Churches,  and  forms  of  worship,  and  discipline,  in 
such  manner  as  they  might  judge  most  convenient  for 
their  future  prosperity ;  consistently  with  the  consti- 
tution and  laws  of  their  country."* 

*  It  will  not  be  amiss  to  add  another  authorative  declaration  to  the  same 
effect  with  that  above  quoted.  It  is  a  resolution  of  both  houses  of  the  Gen- 
eral Convention  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  ths  United  States, 
passed  May  20th,  1814.     We  quote  from  Bioen's  Journals,  pp.  310,  311. 

"The  following  declaration  was  proposed  and  agreed  to  (in  tlie  House  of 
Bishops:)  It  having  been  credibly  stated  to  the  House  of  Bishops,  that  on 
questions,  in  reference  to  property  devised,  before  the  Revolution,  to  congre- 
gations belonging  to  "  The  Church  of  England,"  and  to  uses  connected  with 
that  name,  some  doubts  have  been  entertained  with  regard  to  the  identity  of 
the  body  to  which  the  two  names  have  been  applied,  the  House  think  it  expe- 
dient to  make  the  declaration,  and  to  request  the  concurrence  of  the  House 
of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  therein— That   "  The  Protestant  Episcopal 


THK      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.  71 

For  its  prominent  doctrines,  its  various  formularies 
for  public  worship  and  solemn  occasions,  (with  such 
slight  alterations  as  local  circumstances  have  requir- 
ed,) its  principles  of  free  legislation  by  which  every 
member  of  every  order  in  the  Church  is  expected  to 
have  his  share  in  all  its  legislative  concerns,  and  final- 
ly, for  the  regular  succession  and  order  of  its  Bishops, 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States 
owes  much  of  gratitude  to  the  Church  of  England, 
and  feels  the  most  thankful  affection.  Although  it  be 
now  of  age,  and  has  the  rights  and  the  lawful  indepen- 
dence of  its  maturity,  it  cannot  but  love  the  venerable 
mother,  who  was  the  guide  and  support  of  its  infancy, 
and  who  when  it  was  first  and  early  called  to  provide 
for  itself,  and  to  buffet  with  the  roughness  of  the 
world,  stood  forth  as  its  benefactress  and  faithful 
friend,  and  (to  borrow  a  mercantile  phrase)  advanced 
to  it  in  its   poverty,  and   when  it  lacked    even   the 

Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,"  is  the  same  body  heretofore  known 
in  these  States,  by  the  name  of  "The  Church  of  England;"  the  change  of 
name,  (although  not  of  religious  principle,  in  doctrine,  or  in  worship,  or  in 
discipline,)  being  induced  by  a  characteristic  of  the  Church  of  England, 
supposing  the  independence  of  Christian  Churches,  under  the  different  sove- 
reignties, to  which,  respectively,  tlieir  allegiance  in  civil  concerns  belongs. 
But  that,  when  the  severance  alluded  to  took  place,  and  ever  since,  this 
Church  conceives  of  herself,  as  possessing  and  acting  on  the  principles  of 
the  Church  of  England,  is  evident  from  the  organization  of  our  Conventions, 
and  from  their  subsequent  proceedings,  as  recorded  on  the  Journals;  to 
which,  accordingly,  this  Convention  refers  for  satisfaction  in  the  premises. 
But  it  would  be  contranj  to  fact,  were  anyone  to  infer,  that  the  discipline  ex- 
ercised in  this  Church,  or  that  any  proceedings  therein,  are  at  all  dependent 
on  the  will  of  the  civil  or  of  the  ecclesiastical  authority  of  any  foreign  coun- 
try. 

The  above  declaration  having  been  communicated  to  the  House  of  Cler- 
ical and  Lay  Deputies,  they  returned  for  answer  that  they  concurred  there- 


72        THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

advantage  of  credit,  the  capital,  upon   which  its  pres- 
ent wealth  and  prosperity  have  been  gained. 

III.  The  Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  the  Uni- 
ted States  is  a  denomination  of  Christians  ;  a  society, 
united  under  certain  laws  of  association,  professing 
to  be  a  Church  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  an  Amer- 
ican branch  of  "the  true  vine;"  a  member  of  the 
universal  body  of  Christ.  It  endeavors  to  realize  its 
own  definition  of  a  Church  as  contained  in  the  19th 
of  its  Articles  of  Religion.  "  The  visible  Church  of 
Christ  is  a  congregation  of  faithful  men,  in  the  which 
the  pure  word  of  God  is  preached,  and  the  sacraments 
be  duly  ministered  according  to  Christ's  ordinance, 
in  all  those  things  that  of  necessity  are  requisite  to 
the  same." 

IV.  It  is  a  Church  at  unity  with  the  ancient  and 
the  universal  Church  of  Christ;  which  has  never  sepa« 
rated  itself,  and  has  never  been  separated  by  others, 
from  this  unity  ;  and  which  is  not  liable  to  the  charge 
of  sectarism. 

This  unity  is  maintained  by  the  regular  connexion 
of  the  Bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
(in  which  order  of  ministers  its  peculiarity  as  a 
Church  consists,)  and  through  them  of  the  Church 
itself,  which  acknowledges  them,  with  the  Church  of 
England  whose  unity  has  been  unbroken  from  the 
primitive  and  apostolical  age.  Be  it  remembered,  we 
are  not  arguing  for  the  validity  of  a  ministry  derived 
from  Bishops,  (that  is  a  totally  distinct  argument,) 
but  simply  for  the  unity  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  with  the  ancient  anduniversal  Church,  through 


THE     C  O  51  P  R  E  H  E  N  S  I  V  E     CHURCH.        73 

its  derivation  from  the  English  Church.  The  argu- 
ment is  as  follows  :  The  English  Church  has  always 
been  an  Episcopal  Church,  and  its  Bishops  for  the 
time  being  have  been  acknowledged  by  it.  Its  Bish- 
ops for  the  time  being  have  been  ordained  voluntarily 
by  their  predecessors  in  that  office.  Thus  the  Church 
of  England  for  the  time  being  has  always  acknowl- 
edged that  which  preceded  it;  and  has  been  regularly 
connected  with  the  Church  in  the  age  immediately 
previous,  with  the  free  consent  of  both.  The  Church 
in  each  succeeding  age  has  derived  its  acknowledged 
ministry  (with  which  its  own  existence  according  to 
its  peculiar  organization  is  identified)  from  the  Church 
in  the  age  which  immediately  preceded  it,  and  this 
of  course  with  the  actual  consent  of  both  parties. 
Thus  its  unit)/  may  be  traced  to  the  apostolical  age, 
and  this  too  whether  its  Bishops  have  come  from  the 
early  British,  or  Gallican,  or  from  the  later  Italian 
line.* 

Now  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  Uni- 
ted States  has  been  acknowledged  by  the  English 
Church,  and  has  acknowledged  it,  and  has  maintained 
ecclesiastical  unity  with  it,  in  receiving  from  it  the 
succession   of  Bishops    now    acknowledged   in   the 

*The  gospel  was  planted  in  Great  Britain  in  the  very  first  age  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  and  the  Church  in  that  country  was  very  soon  organized  under 
Bishops  obtained  probably  from  Gaul  in  the  second  century.  By  the  irrup- 
tion of  the  Anglo-Saxons  in  the  year  452,  the  Church  and  Christianity  were 
driven  back  into  the  mountain  fastnesses,  where  they  were  maintained. 
About  the  year  GOO,  the  Church  and  Christianity  were  extended  among  the 
Saxons  by  Augustin,  an  Italian  Missionary,  who  was  consecrated  to  the 
Episcopal  supervision  of  the  converted  Saxons.  The  reference  above  is  to 
these  two  lines.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  various  writers  on  Ecclesiasti- 
cal History. 


74         THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

American  Church  and  constituting  its  peculiarity. 
Hence  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States,  with  the  Church  of  England,  is  united  to  the 
ancient  and  universal  Church.  Neither  has  ever  at 
any  time  separated  itself,  or  been  separated  by  others, 
from  the  Church  in  the  age  which  preceded  it,  but 
has  always  acknowledged  it,  and  been  acknowledged 
by  it ;  and  so  down  to  the  apostolic  age. 

Again,  we  beg  the  reader  to  remember  that  this  ar- 
gument is  simply  to  prove  the  unity  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  with  the  primitive  and  universal 
Church  of  Christ ;  and  that  it  is  entirely  distinct  from 
the  question  whether  Bishops  are  necessary  to  consti- 
tute a  valid  ministry  or  a  regular  Church.  This  lat- 
ter question  we  intend  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  in 
these  pages.  The  argument  we  have  presented  has 
no  sort  of  connexion  with  the  controversy  on  the  va- 
lidity or  the  propriety  of  the  various  denominational 
Churches  in  our  country. 

We  are  aware  that  there  is  an  objection  to  the  fore- 
going view,  frequently  pressed  upon  Episcopalians  by 
persons  not  very  conversant  with  the  true  points  of 
the  Episcopal  controversy  ;   and  we  propose  to  meet  it. 

The  objection  is  to  the  following  effect :  The  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church  in  England  at  the  Reforma- 
tion separated  from  the  Church  of  Rome,  which  was  at 
that  time  the  universal  Church,  and  that  Church  ex- 
communicated the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
England,  so  that  it  is  after  all  but  a  sect. 

This  objection  admits  of  several  answers,  some  of 
which  we  will  state  succinctly. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  /O 

1st.  The  Church  of  Rome  never  was  the  universal 
Church,  for  the  great  body  of  the  Eastern  or  Asian 
Churches  have  never  acknowledged  its  authority,  and 
it  never  itself  assumed  a  supremacy  until  after  the 
eighth  century.  In  leaving  the  Church  of  Rome 
therefore,  the  English  Church  did  not  leave  its  con- 
nexion with  the  universal  Church,  but  simply  its  con- 
nexion with  the  Church  of  Rome. 

2nd.  It  was  a  maxim  of  the  primitive  Church, 
which  Protestant  Episcopalians  acknowledge,  that 
every  regular  Diocesan  Church,  i.  c.  every  Church 
regularly  organized  with  its  Bishops,  Clergy  and  Laity, 
is  absolutely  independent  of  all  others.  The  Church  of 
Rome,  therefore,  had  no  authority  over  the  Church  of 
England.  The  only  influence,  which  one  indepen- 
dent Church  can  exercise  over  another,  is  that  of  moral 
influence.  The  one  may  protest  against  the  errors  of 
the  other,  but  has  no  other  right.  This  is  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  as  shown 
by  its  name  and  by  its  19th  and  20th  articles.  Each 
Church  has  the  whole  management  of  its  own  affairs, 
even  in  the  reforming  of  itself  from  error.  None 
other  has  any  right  of  interference. 

3d.  There  is  no  such  right  in  any  Church,  as  that 
of  excommunication  in  the  absolute  sense.  The 
highest  right  of  punishment  in  any  Church  is  that  of 
suspension  (until  penitence  allows  the  return  of  the 
offender),  and  then  only  in  the  case  of  individuals, 
never  to  be  exercised  by  one  Church  towards  another. 
This  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  as  expressed  in  the  Rubric  prefatory  to  the 


76        THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

order  for  the  administration  of  the  holy   communion 
and  in  the  33d  article. 

4th.  The  true  state  of  the  case  is  this.  The  Church 
of  Rome  never  had  any  canonical  or  lawful  authority 
over  the  Church  of  England.  The  influence  which 
that  Church  exercised  for  a  period,  in  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal and  secular  affairs  of  England,  was  obtained  alto- 
gether by  usurpations  which  depended  upon  various 
circumstances  in  the  history  of  the  times.  This  is  un- 
derstood by  the  objectors  as  well  as  the  respondents ; 
and  Protestant  Episcopalians  think  no  more,  than  the 
objectors,  of  the  excommunications  of  the  Pope]  of 
Rome  beyond  his  own  diocese,  i.  e.  the  city  of  Rome 
and  a  small  tract  around  it  in  Italy.  Now  the  Church 
of  England  was  always  a  regularly  organized  Church 
by  itself,  and  could  not  possibly  become  a  sect  or 
schismatical,  unless  it  could  separate  from  itself) 
which  is  impossible.  In  the  light  of  the  reformation 
it  proceeded  to  reform  itself;  and  as  one  item  in  this 
reformation,  it  discarded  the  usurpations  of  the  E.o- 
man  Church,  it  refused  to  allow  that  foreign  Church 
any  longer  to  interfere  or  have  a  hand  in  its  concerns  ; 
it  cut  or  broke  off  its  connexion  and  correspondence 
with  that  Church.  It  never  destroyed  itself,  it  simply 
reformed  or  changed  some  circumstances  in  its  system. 
It  was  always  regular  in  its  doings.  It  never  made 
one  change,  or  abolished  one  custom,  or  added  one 
circumstance  to  its  system,  irregularly  or  contrary  to 
its  own  laws.  As  well  might  the  Presbyterian  or 
Methodist  Church  be  said  to  make  itself  schismatical, 
to  form  itself  into  a  totally  new  and  distinct  Church, 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  77 

repudiating  and  abandoning  the  old — because  in  its 
last  General  Assembly  or  General  Conference,  it  made 
some  new  arrangements,  passed  some  new  resolutions, 
enacted  some  new  laws,  as  the  new  or  changing  cir- 
cumstances of  the  year  had  demanded,  or  shewn  ne- 
cessary or  expedient.  As  an  independent  Church,  the 
Church  of  England  separated,  as  it  had  a  perfect 
right  to  do,  from  its  temporary  connexion  with  another 
and  foreign  Church. 

Two  or  three  familiar  illustrations  will  make  our 
argument  perfectly  clear  even  to  the  most  undisciplin- 
ed. It  is  well  known  that  for  many  years  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  Middle,  Southern,  and  Western 
States,  has  been  connected  with  the  Congregational 
Churches  of  New  England,  by  some  articles  of  asso- 
ciation for  their  mutual  convenience.  Now,  if  the 
one  of  these  independent  bodies  should  see  fit  to  with- 
draw from  this  compact,  to  cut  its  correspondence 
with  the  other,  could  it  be  called  schismatical,  or 
could  it  be  said  to  form,  by  so  doing,  a  new  sect  ? 
Again,  suppose  that  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of 
the  diocese  of  Connecticut  should  see  fit  to  withdraw 
itself  from  its  union  with  the  General  Convention  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States, 
and  to  return  to  the  same  position  which  it  occupied 
before  the  year  1789  (when  it  first  united  with  the 
General  Convention),  could  it  be  said  that  a  new  sect 
had  been  formed  in  Connecticut,  would  it  not  be  the 
same  Church  still  ?  Once  more,  suppose  that  two  men 
independent  of  each  other,  and  resident  in  different 
places,  E  and  R,  should  become  acquainted  with  each 
7* 


78         THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Other,  and  should  open  a  correspondence  with  each 
other,  and  E  should  ask  and  receive  advice  from  R, 
and  should  always  be  ready  to  entertain  hospitably 
such  persons  as  R  should  recommend  to  him,  and 
indeed  should  place  so  much  confidence  in  R,  as  to 
acknowledge  the  validity  of  various  unauthorized 
proceedings  of  R  in  relation  to  E's  business  concerns, 
as  if  R  were  his  agent,  and  should  presently  even  ap- 
point R  his  authorized  agent  for  an  indefinite  term  ; 
and  suppose  that  after  a  time  E  should  discover  that 
R  was  not  his  friend,  but  had  really  been  overreach- 
ing him,  and  involving  him  in  difficulty,  and  thereupon 
should  legally  annul  the  agency  entrusted  to  R,  and 
should  cut  all  correspondence  with  R,  and  should 
even  publish  to  the  world  that  R  was  not  trustworthy, 
could  it  be  said,  that  in  so  doing  E  had  violated  his 
principles,  or  that,  by  so  doing,  E  had  lost  his  personal 
identity,  and  had  become,  actually,  as  well  as  meta- 
phorically, a  new  man  1  These  illustrations  are  all 
parallel  to  the  point  at  issue. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States,  we  conclude,  by  having  received  its  peculiar 
organization  by  an  unity,  acknowledged  on  both  sides, 
with  the  Church  of  England,  is  thereby  at  unity  with 
the  ancient  and  universal  Church. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  some  of  our  readers  to 
learn  the  early  history  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  this  country.  Accordingly,  we  have  inserted 
in  the  appendix.  No.  B,  the  history  of  its  regular  or- 
ganization into  the  system  which  at  present  distin- 
guishes it.  The  authority  there  quoted  is  the  well 
known  (although  not  so  generally  read)  book  entitled 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  79 

"  Memoirs  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States,"  by  the  late  Bishop  White,  of  the  dio- 
cese of  Pennsylvania. 

Having  now  given  our  definition,  we  think  that 
there  is  nothing  in  the  fact,  that  such  a  Church  exists 
in  our  land,  to  give  pain  to  any  sincere  Christian. 
We  think,  indeed,  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  defini- 
nition  to  deter  any  sincere  Christian  from  uniting 
with  this  Church. 

SECTION     II. 

MEMBERS. 

Clergy  and  laity — always  connected  in  ecclesiastical  legislation  and  divine 
worship — Bishops  commonly  distinguished  from  the  other  clergy  by  their 
titles  of  office — all  Christians  may  be  members  of  the  P.  E.  Church. 

The  members  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
like  those  of  every  other  denomination,  are  of  two 
orders,  clergy  and  laity. 

The  clergy  are  in  three  degrees,  or  orders — Bish- 
ops, Presbyters  or  Priests,  and  Deacons. 

Both  clergy  and  laity  have  a  reciprocal  influence 
upon  each  other  ;  and  each  has  peculiar  rights.  Both 
are  equally  concerned  in  the  government  of  the 
Church  ;  and  both  are  always  expected  to  take  an 
equal  part  in  the  public  worship  of  God. 

The  peculiar  rights  and  duties  of  the  clergy  will  be 
stated  in  their  proper  places.  The  peculiar  rights 
and  privileges  of  the  laity  will  also  be  illustrated  as 
they  come  up  in  the  progress  of  the  present  chapter. 

The  Bishops,  although  a  portion  or  an  order  of 
the  clergy,  are  generally  distinguished  by  their  title  of 


80  THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Bishops,  for  convenience  sake  ;  and  by  the  clergy, 
therefore,  are  generally  understood  the  inferior  orders 
of  Presbyters  and  Deacons.  The  laity  are  always  re- 
ferred to  under  their  single  title.  Thus,  for  example, 
the  acts  of  the  General  Convention,  the  Articles  of  Re- 
ligion, the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  &c.,  are  said  to 
be  adopted  or  passed  by  "the  Bishops,  Clergy  and  Laity 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America." 

If  it  shall  be  made  to  appear,  that  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  are  all  things  essential  to  Christian 
and  ecclesiastical  unity,  and  that  this  Church  is  pecul- 
iarly fitted  to  bring  together  the  scattered  sheep  of 
Christ's  flock,  we  trust  there  is  no  Christian  who 
will  not,  for  the  love  he  bears  his  Master  and  his 
brethren,  be  prompt  to  enroll  himself  among  its  mem- 
bers. 

SECTION      III, 

TERRITORIAL      DIVISIONS. 

The  P.  E.  Church  co-extensive  with  the  United  States — all  one  Church^ 
its  unity  represented  in  the  General  Convention — Dioleses  the  sub-divis- 
ions of  the  whole  Church — represented  in  Diocesan  Conventions — combi- 
nation, formation,  size,  and  Episcopal  charge,  of  Dioceses — independence 
of  Dioceses — present  number  and  names  of  Dioceses  and  their  Bishops — 
Parishes  the  sub-divisions  of  Dioceses — independence  and  rights  of  Par- 
ishes— parochial  officers — the  territorial  divisions  of  the  P.  £.  Church  con- 
venient for  unity. 

I.  The  limits  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
are  co-extensive  with  those  of  the  United  States  and 
its  territories. 

The  whole  Church  within  these  limits  is  one  under 
certain  general  principles  of  union  and  government- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  81 

This  unity  is  maintained  in  a  representative  and 
legislative  body,  known  by  the  name  of  "the  General 
Convention  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States,"  which  body  is  assembled  once  in 
three  years,  in  such  place  as  itself  appoints  from  ses- 
sion to  session.  Its  custom,  heretofore,  has  been  to 
meet  in  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
alternately,  as  central,  and  the  most  generally  conven- 
ient places. 

The  General  Convention  is  composed  of  two 
houses,  the  house  of  Bishops,  and  the  house  of  cleri- 
cal and  lay  Deputies ;  and  the  concurrence  of  both  is 
necessary  for  all  legislation.  The  former  is  composed 
of  all  the  Bishops  of  this  Church,  and  the  latter  is 
composed  of  a  representation  of  both  clergy  and  laity 
from  all  the  Dioceses — each  Diocese  being  entitled  to 
send  four  clergymen  (i.  e.  Presbyters  or  Deacons)  and 
four  laymen.  In  the  house  of  Deputies,  moreover, 
(if  the  majority  of  the  clergy  and  laity  representing 
any  one  Diocese  require  it,)  any  question  may  be  put 
to  each  of  these  orders  (i.  e.  clergy  and  laity)  sepa- 
rately ;  and  a  concurrent  majority  of  each  of  these 
orders  is  necessary  to  constitute  a  vote. 

The  powers  and  action  of  the  General  Convention 
will  be  more  fully  expressed  in  section  5. 

II.  Within  the  limits  of  the  whole  Church  are  cer- 
tain sub-divisions,  independent  of  each  other  in  many 
respects,  yet  united  as  above  stated. 

These  sub-divisions  are  denominated  Dioceses  each 
of  which  is    under   the    Episcopal    supervision  of  a 


82  THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Bishop,  (or  overseer,  or  superintendent,)  who  is  also 
called  a  Diocesan. 

The  ecclesiastical  affairs  of  each  Diocese  are  man- 
aged by  a  representative  and  legislative  body,  entitled 
the  Convention  of  the  Diocese — of  New  York,  or 
Western  New- York,  or  Maine,  &.c.,  according  to  its 
position  in  the  United  States.  The  Bishop  of  the 
Diocese  is  chairman  of  the  Convention. 

A  Diocesan  Convention  is  composed  of  the  clergy 
of  the  Diocese,  and  of  laymen,  more  or  less,  elected 
by  each  parish  from  its  own  members,  to  represent  it. 
Any  question  may  be  put  (at  the  request  of  any  mem- 
ber or  parish  represented)  to  the  clergy  and  laity  sepa- 
rately ;  and  the  concurrence  of  a  majority  of  each 
order  is  necessary  to  a  vote. 

These  are  the  main  principles  in  the  formation  and 
conduct  of  the  Diocesan  Conventions ;  although,  as 
each  Diocese  manages  its  own  affairs  by  itself,  there 
are  various  modifications  of  these  main  principles. 
These  Conventions  are  constituted,  in  the  main,  upon 
the  model  of  the  General  Convention. 

The  powers  and  action  of  the  Diocesan  Conven- 
tions will  be  further  explained  in  section  5. 

When  two  or  more  neighboring  Dioceses  are  each 
too  small,  or  unable  to  employ  or  support  the  servi- 
ces of  a  Bishop,  they  may  be  united,  or  associated 
temporarily  for  that  purpose.* 

*  As  we  desire  not  to  burden  the  body  of  this  chapter  with  anything 
more  than  is  absolutely  important  to  our  purpose — the  illustration,  in  very 
brief  statements,  of  the  outline  of  the  P.  E.  Church  in  the  United  States ; 
and  as  some  of  our  readers  would  like  a  view  of  the  subject  somewhat 
more  complete,  we  shall  throw  the  authorities  for  our  statements  (as  lias 


THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.  S3 

When  a  single  Diocese  has  become  so  large  as  to 
require  the  services  of  more  than  one  Bishop,  it  may 
be  divided  into  two  or  more  independent  Dioceses,  ac- 
cording to  the  exigency.! 

When  a  Diocese  is  too  small  to  elect  a  Bishop  by  its 
own  Convention,:};  it  may,  at  its  own  request,  be  pro- 
vided with  one  by  the  General  Convention. § 

When  any  Diocese,  through  the  demise  of  its  Bishop 
or  other  causes,  is  deprived  of  Episcopal  services,  it 
may  obtain  the  services  of  some  Bishop  of  another 
Diocese  provisionally. || 

When  any  Diocese,  through  the  old  age  or  infirmity 
of  its  Bishop,  is  in  need  of  increased  Episcopal  ser- 
vices, it  may  elect  an  assistant  Bishop,  who  shall  suc- 
ceed the  Bishop,  on  his  decease,  in  the  entire  charge 
of  the  Diocese.^ 

When  there  are  any  portions  of  the  United  States 
or  Territories  under  no  Episcopal  supervision,  and 
unable  to  procure  or  apply  for  it,  the  General  Conven- 
tion may  appoint  Missionary  Bishops  for  such  destitute 
portions  of  the  country ;  and  it  may  also  appoint 
Missionary  Bishops  for  Foreign  Missionary  Stations.** 

already  been  done  in  a  few  instances),  and  occasionally  discuss  a  suggested 
topic,  in  the  notes.  Yet  we  would  commend  the  notes  and  their  references 
to  all  our  readers.  The  authority  for  the  statement  above  made  is  Canon  1 
of  1838,  section  2,  part  2,  appendix  G. 

t  Constitution  of  P.  E  Church  in  U.  S.    Article  5,  appendix  C.       Also 
Canon  8  of  1838,  appendix  G. 
X  Canon  i  of  1838,  section   2,  part  1,  appendix  G. 
§  Canon  1  of  1838,  section  1,  appendix  G. 
II  Canon  3,  of  1838,  sections  1,2,3,  appendix  G. 
IT  Canon  6,  of  1832,  appendix  G. 
*•  Canon  2  of  1838,  sections  1—6,  appendix  G, 


84        THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

When  a  Church,  consisting  of  one  or  of  two  or 
more  regularly  organized  parishes,  in  any  part  of  our 
country  which  has  never  heen  united  with  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  so  as  to 
be  regularly  a  part  of  it,  shall  wish  to  be  thus  united 
with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  it  may,  upon 
its  application,  be  received  into  union  with  the  Gene- 
ral Convention,  and  be  entitled  to  a  representation  in 
that  body,  as  an  independent  Diocese,  even  if  it  be 
not  large  enough  to  elect  or  maintain  a  Bishop  for  it- 
self.* 

Furthermore,  each  Diocese  is  absolutely  indepen- 
dent, except  in  certain  particulars,  wherein,  by  its  own 
voluntary  union  with  the  others,  it  transfers  its  own 
authority  to  the  General  Convention.  The  connexion 
or  union  of  each  Diocese  with  the  others,  through  the 
General  Convention,  is  perfectly  voluntary  ;  and  any 
Diocese  has  a  right  to  withdraw  from  that  connexion 
whensoever  it  may  please.  The  only  penalty  for  so 
doing  exists  in  nature — the  inconveniences  attendant 
upon  such  a  withdrawal  and  the  sense  of  having  de- 
parted from  the  most  perfect  unity  of  the  Church  in 
our  country.  An  example  of  such  withdrawal  is  not, 
we  may  add,  on  record,  and  from  the  nature  of  things, 
will  probably  never  occur. 

There  are,  at  this  date,  twenty-six  Dioceses. t 

"  Constitution  of  P.  E.  Ctiurch,  article  5,  section  1,  appendix  C . 

fThe  names  of  these  Diocese  and  of  tlieir  Bishops,  areas  follows;  of 
Maine,  of  Massachusetts,  of  Rhode  Island,  (these  three  are  united  by  the 
name  of  the  Eastern  Diocese)  under  the  Episcopal  charge  of  the  Rt.  Rev. 
Alexander  V.  Griswold,  D.  D ;  of  New  Hampshire,  provisionally  under 
Bishop  Griswold  ;  of  Vermont,  Bishop  John  H.  Hopkins,  D.  D;  of  Connec- 
ticut, Bishop  Thomas  C.  Brownell,  D.  D.  LL.  D ;  of  New-York,  Bishop 
Benjamin  T.  Onderdonk,  D.  D  ;  of  Western  New  York,  Bishop   William 


THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.  85 

III.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add,  that,  within  the 
limits  of  the  Dioceses,  the  Church  is  distributed  into 
the  smaller  sub-divisions  of  Parishes  or  congregations 
or  societies. 

These  parishes  are  all  at  perfect  liberty  to  manage 
their  own  concerns  in  any  way  which  they  may  choose, 
except  in  those  cases  where  they  conform  to  the  gener- 
al laws  for  their  unity  and  mutual  convenience,  which 
they  themselves  have  made,  and  which  they  may  at 
any  time  alter,  by  their  delegates  in  the  Diocesan 
Conventions,  and  by  their  deputies  in  the  General 
Convention.  They  may  elect  and  settle  their  own 
ministers,  appropriate  their  own  monies  as  they  please, 
hold  property  independently,  &c.  &c. 

Each  parish,  at  an  annual  parish  meeting  (holden 
generally  on  Easter  Monday,  which  occurs  in  March  or 
April,)  elects,  for  the  year,   two  wardens,    (the   one 

H.  DeLancey,  D.  D  ;  of  New  Jersey,  Bishop  George  W.  Doane,  D.  D  ;  of 
Pennsylvania,  Bishop  Henry  U.  Onderdouk,  D.  D  ;  of  Delaware,  provisional 
Bishop  H.  U.  Onderdonk  ;  of  Maryland,  Bishop  William  K.  WhiUinghami 
D.  D  ;  of  Virginia,  Bishop  Richard  C.  Moore,  D.  D;  assistant  Bishop  Will- 
iam Meade,  D.  D ;  of  North  Carolina,  Bishop  Levi  S.  Ives,  D.  D.  LL.  D  ; 
of  South  Carolina,  Bishop  Christopher  E.  Gadsden,  D.  D  ;  of  Georgia,  Bish- 
op Stephen  Elliot,  D.  D  ;  of  Ohio,  Bishop  Charles  P.  Mc  Ilvaine,  D.  D  ; 
of  Kentucky,  Bishop  Benjamin  B.  Smith,  D.  D  ;  of  Tennessee,  Bishop 
James  H.  Otey,  D.  D  ;  of  Alabama,  of  Mississippi,  of  Louisiana,  these  three 
each  under  the  provisional  charge  of  Bishop  Leoiiidas  Polk,D.  D;  of 
Michigan,  Bishop  Samuel  A.  McCoskry,  D.  D  ;  of  Illinois,  Bishop  Philan- 
der Chase,  D.  D  ;  of  Florida,  having  no  Bishop  ;  of  Indiana,  provisional 
Bishop  Jackson  Kemper,  D.  D.  Besides  these  Dioceses,  the  Church  in  Ar- 
kansas and  Texas  is  under  the  care  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Leonidas  Polk,  Mission- 
ary Bishop  ;  and  that  in  Missouri,  Iowa,  and  Wisconsin,  under  the  Rt.  Rev. 
Jackson  Kemper,  Missionary  Bishop.  In  the  General  Convention,  all  of 
these  tioenty  Bishops  are  equally  entitled  to  seats  in  the  house  of  Bishops  : 
and  every  one  of  the  twenty-six  Dioceses  has  a  right  to  be  represented  in  the 
house  of  clerical  and  lay  deputies,  by  four  clergymen,  and  four  laymen, 
chosen  by  its  own  Convention. 


85  THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH 

called  the  senior,  and  the  other  the  junior  warden,) 
whose  business  it  is  to  advise  and  assist  the  pastor. 
These  officers  correspond  to  the  Deacons  of  Congre- 
gational and  Presbyterian  Churches.  At  the  same 
meeting,  and  for  the  same  term,  it  elects  also  a  vestry, 
of  an  indefinite  number,  whose  business  it  is  to  super- 
intend, with  the  wardens,  the  secular  concerns  of  the 
parish,  and  to  attend  to  all  such  matters  as  the  parish 
leaves  in  their  hands,  after  its  annual  meeting.  These 
officers  save  the  necessity  of  frequent  parish  meetings  ; 
and  are  analogous  to  the  trustees  or  business  commit- 
tees of  other  denominations. 

We  will  remind  the  reader,  before  we  pass  to  another 
topic,  that  the  territorial  divisions  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  are  similar  to  those  of  all  extensive 
denominations.  Parishes  are  alike  in  all.  The  limits 
of  Synods  and  Presbyteries,  Consociations,  Associa- 
tions, Conferences,  &,c.,  are  all  correspondent  to  Dio- 
ceses. So,  too,  the  General  Conference,  the  General 
Association,  the  General  Assembly,  &c.,  do  each,  like 
the  General  Convention,  take  in  the  extent  of  the 
United  States  and  Territories. 

The  arrangement  ofits  territorial  divisions  furnishes, 
therefore,  no  objection  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church ;  while,  to  say  the  least,  the  simplicity  and 
extent  of  these  exhibit  convenient  instrumentalities 
for  the  formation  of  an  united  and  universal  Church. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.         87 


SECTION     IV 


LAWS. 


All  written— made  by  the  whoIeChurch— laws  of  the  General  Convention — 
laws  of  the  Dioceses — the  election  of  wardens  and  vestry,  and  the  use  of  the 
clerical  dress  common  customs — liberty  in  every  thing  not  defined  by 
law — clear  laws  advantageous  for  unity. 

The  laws  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  are 
all  a  lex  scripta,  written  laws,  statutes. 

They  are  all  made  by  the  whole  Church — Bishops, 
Clergy,  and  Laity.  In  the  next  section  this  will  be 
further  elucidated. 

They  are  as  follows  : 

1.  The  Constitution  and  Canons  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  adopted  in 
the  General  Convention  ;  also  the  Resolves  of  the 
General  Convention.  These  are  obligatory  upon  the 
whole  Church,  in  all  the  dioceses.  They  are  liable 
to  revision,  change  or  repeal,  every  three  years,  at 
each  session  of  the  General  Convention. 

The  various  orders  and  rubrics  in  "  The  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  and  administration  of  the  sacraments 
and  other  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  Church,  &c." 
relate  to  sundry  occasions  of  public  worship,  and  are 
also  laws  of  the  General  Convention,  and  liable,  like 
its  other  laws,  to  change  or  repeal  every  three  years.* 

*  This  Constitution  is  in  nine  articles,  and  may  be  found  in  the  apppen 
dix,  C. 

The  canons  are  on  various  subjects,  and  are  but  partially  referred  to  in 
this  treatise.  All  the  previously-existing  canons  were  revised  and  re-arran- 
ged into  a  new  code,  in  the  General  Convention  of  1832.  Of  these  a  few 
have  been  changed,  and  a  few  have  been  added,  in  the  General  Conventions 


88         THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

2.  The  Constitutions  and  Canons  and  Resolves  of  the 
different  Dioceses  represented  in  their  Annual  Conven- 
tions. These  are  obligatory  only  in  the  dioceses 
which  adopt  them.  These  are  liable  to  repeal  or 
change,  every  year,  at  each  session  of  the  Diocesan 
Convention. 

In  the  above  two  classes  are  all  the  laws  and  the 
only  laws  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  lex  non 
scripta,  an  unwritten  law,  a  law  of  custom,  or  of  arbi- 
trary individual  enactment,  in  this  Church. 

There  are,  however,  two  customs,  very  common  in 
the  Church,  which  it  is  proper  to  allude  to.  The  one 
is  the  election  of  wardens  and  vestrymen,  by  the  par- 
ishes, at  their  annual  meetings.  This  was  a  custom 
adopted  from  the  parish  customs  of  England,  and  is, 
we  believe,  universally  practised.  It  is  not,  however, 
enjoined  by  canon,  or  necessary,  except  in  the  case 
of  such  churches  as  would  institute  their  rectors. 
The  legal  (corporate)  existence  of  most  parishes  is, 
likewise,  in  almost  every  instance,  through  these  offi- 
cers. So  that  it  has  never  been  necessary  to  provide 
for  their  election  by  any  special  ecclesiastical  legisla- 
tion. The  other  custom  is  the  use  of  the  clerical 
dress — the  bands,  surplice,  and  gown.  This  dress  is 
enjoined  by  ecclesiastical  law,  only  for  the  particular 
time  and  occasion  of  ordination.  It  is  a  very  general 
custom,  although  not,  like  the  former,  universal. 

of  1835  and  1838.    Tlieir  titles,  quoted  from  the  table  of  contents  prefixed  to 
them,  illustrate  their  subjects,  and  may  be  found  in  the  appendix,  D. 

In  the  appendices,  E,F,  and  G,  may  be  found  quoted  such  of  the  canons 
as  are  referred  to  in  the  course  of  the  present  chapter. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  89 

In  every  matter,  not  defined  by  written  law,  there  is 
liberty. 

If  clear  and  definite  laws,  under  which  every  per- 
son may  accurately  know  his  rights  and  privileges,  as 
a  member  of  the  Church,  and  be  able  to  defend  and 
to  continue  them,  be  praiseworthy  as  well  as  impor- 
tant and  useful  in  a  Church  ;  and  if  such  be  espe- 
cially necessary  in  any  system  proposed  to  the  favor- 
able regards  of  all  Christian  people, — then  may  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  claim  the  attention,  and 
ask  for  the  kind  consideration,  of  the  Christians  of  the 
United  States,  as  a  Church  fitted  to  heal  their  differ- 
ences, and  secure  them  in  "  the  unity  of  the  spirit  and 
in  the  bond  of  peace." 

SECTION     V. 

GOVERNMENT. 

Deinocratical — representative— Parish  meetings — the  original  sources  of 
government — their  various  powers — how  composed — elect  wardens  and 
vestry — powers  and  duties  of  these  officers — an  instituted  rector  is  chair- 
man— elect  lay  delegates  to  the  Diocesan  Conventions.  Diocesan  Con- 
ventions— their  duties  and  powers — meet  annually — composed  of  clergy 
and  laity — mode  of  conducting  business — the  Bishop  the  Chairman — elect 
standing  committees — duties  of  these  committees^elect  clerical  and  lay 
deputies  to  the  General  Convention — General  Convention — its  duties 
and  powers  to  provide  general  legislation  and  promote  unity — composed  of 
bishops,  clergy  and  laity — niocls  triennially — is  in  two  houses,  each  has  a 
veto  on  the  other,  each  equal — House  of  Bishops — how  composed — senior 
Bishop  presides — mode  of  conducting  business — House  of  Clerical  and  Lay 
Deputies — hoW  composed — mode  of  conducting  business^the  vote  by  a 
division  of  orders — by  this  the  clergy  and  laity  have  a  veto  upon  each 
other — the  next  General  Convention — comments — analogy  between  the 
ecclesiastical  institutions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  and  the  civil  institutions  of  the  United  States— government  of  the 


90  THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church  very  comprehensive — primitive — combines 
the  three  elements,  the  Episcopal,  the  Presbyterial,  the  Congregational — 
a  just  system — broad  enough  to  unite  all  Christians. 

The  government  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States  is  strictly  and  purely 
democratical  ;  that  is  to  say,  every  member  of  the 
Church,  without  any  exception  in  any  class,  has  an 
equal  right  in  the  making  of  every  one  of  its  laws, 
and  in  appointing  the  method  and  means  of  their  ad- 
ministration. Or  to  express  the  same  idea  in  another 
form,  there  is  not  a  single  exercise  of  authority  in 
this  Church,  which  may  not  be  directly  influenced  by 
every  member  of  it.  The  supreme  power  of  govern- 
ing this  Church  is  the  will  of  the  majority  of  the 
whole  Church,  which  is  composed  of  bishops,  clergy, 
and  laity  ;  so  that  the  bishops  cannot  govern  alone, 
nor  the  clergy  alone,  nor  the  laity  alone.  But  all 
these,  as  equally  belonging  to  the  Church,  and  inter- 
ested in  it,  act  together,  and  thus,  in  the  highest  and 
justest  style  of  popular  and  universal  suffrage,  the 
certainly-ascertained  will  of  the  actual  majority  of  the 
whole  Church  is  the  supreme  law  of  the  Church. 

The  government  of  this  Church  is,  also,  represent- 
ative ;  that  is  to  say,  its  laws  are  all  made  by  bodies 
composed  of  representatives  elected  directly  by  the 
whole  Church. 

That  the  government  of  this  Church  is  democrati- 
cal and  representative  will  now  be  illustrated  more 
particularly. 

I.  Parish  Meetings.  In  these  are  the  unity  of  the 
Church  in  the  parish.     The  original  powers  of  gov- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  91 

ernment   exist  in,  and  proceed   from,  the   parishes, 
which  are  the  primary  assemblies  of  the  people. 

1.  These  have  complete  control  of  their  own  paro- 
chial or  congregational  affairs,  which  control  they  ex- 
ercise absolutely  in  the  parish  meetings.  The  per- 
sons voting  at  the  parish  meetings  are  all  pew-hold- 
ers, or  pew-lessees,  or  regular  occupants  of  seats,  or 
persons  of  age  in  any  way  regularly  connected  with 
the  parish,  whether  by  certificate,  as  in  some  States,  or 
in  other  ways.  No  distinction  is  made  in  these  parish 
meetings  between  communicants  and  others.* 

2.  For  the  management  of  such  parochial  concerns, 
as  are  not  attended  to  by  the  parish  meetings,  there  is 
a  representative  body,  elected  annually  by  the  parish 
at  its  annual  meeting.  This  body,  as  has  been  stated 
already,  is  composed  of  two  wardens  and  an  indefinite 
number  of  vestry-men.  Most  parishes  elect  from  four 
to  six  or  eight  vestry-men,  some  have  more,  and  one 
very  large  and  wealthy  parish  in  our  country  has  be- 
tween thirty  and  forty.  In  some  parishes  it  has  been 
the  custom  to  leave  all  their  concerns,  even  the  calling 

«  It  is  the  experience  of  the  Church,  that  in  all  cases  where  both  the  com- 
municants and  other  members  of  a  parish  are  to  act  jointly  (as  in  the  call 
and  settlement  of  ministers,  &c.,)  it  is  best  that  they  consult  and  vote  in 
one  body.  The  communicants,  if  they  are  not  separated  into  a  distinct  body, 
supposed  thereby  to  have  interests  different  from  those  of  the  other  mem- 
bers of  a  parish,  will  always  exercise,  from  their  personal  characters,  their 
various  relations  to  others  and  from  different  circumstances,  a  controlling 
and  decisive  influence  in  parisli  meetings.  It  is  doubted,  whether,  in  Epis- 
copalian parishes,  measures  are  ever  carried  contrary  to  the  will  of  a  ma- 
jority of  the  communicants.  To  take  an  illustration,  the  writer  believes, 
that  among  the  thousands  of  cases  which  have  occurred,  there  probably  has 
never  been  a  minister  settled  over  any  Episcopalian  parish,  by  the  vote  of  a 
parish-meeting,  in  opposition  to  the  clearly  expressed  will  of  a  majority  of 
the  communicants. 


92       THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

and  settlement  of  a  Rector,  with  the  vestry,  whom 
they  elect  with  a  careful  and  particular  reference  to 
the  just  fulfilment  of  their  duty. 

In  all  parish  and  vestry  meetings,  we  may  say  in 
passing,  an  Instituted  Rector  has  a  legal  right,  it  is 
understood,  to  preside ;  and,  as  chairman, ^has  the 
privilege  of  a  casting  vote,  in  the  case  of  a  tie.  A 
minister  not  instituted  has  no  such  right. 

3.  At  the  annual  meeting,  each  parish  elects,  from 
its  own  members,  certain  lay  delegates  (more  or  less, 
according  to  the  number  specified  in  the  constitution 
of  the  Diocese)  to  represent  it  in  the  Diocesan  Con- 
vention. 

We  wish  this  fact  to  be  especially  noted ;  for  in 
this  is  the  first  great  step  in  that  representative  gov- 
ernment, by  which  the  legislation  of  the  whole  Church 
is  controlled. 

II.  Diocesan  Conventions.  In  these  are  the  uni- 
ty of  the  Church  in  the  Diocese.  Each  Diocesan 
Convention  represents  only  a  Diocesan  Church,  and 
its  laws  are  obligatory  only  upon  the  Church  within 
the  limits  of  the  particular  Diocese. 

1.  The  chief  duties  of  a  Diocesan  Convention  are 
to  elect  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  ;*  to  consider  the 
state  of  the  several  parishes ;  to  discuss  and  consult 
concerning  matters  of  interest  to  the  Diocese  and  to 
the  Church  at  large;  to  instruct  their  deputies  to  the 
General  Convention  in  reference  to  any  propositions 
which  may  have  been  brought  before  their  notice  by 
the  previous  General  Convention  ;  to  pass  resolutions 

'  Constitution  of  P.  E.  Church,  Ar'.  4,  Appendix  C. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH,  93 

and  canons  for  the  regulation  of  the  affairs  of  the  Di- 
ocese ;  especially  for  the  discipline  and  trial  of  un- 
worthy clergymen  of  every  grade  ;*  &c.  &c. 

2.  A  Diocesan  Convention  meets  annually ;  and  is 
composed  of  the  clergy  of  the  Diocese,  and  of  Laity 
elected,  as  just  mentioned,  by  all  the  parishes. 

On  all  questions  the  clergy  and  laity  may,  if  it  be  , 
required,  vote  separately,  and  the  concurrence  of  the 
two  orders  is  then  necessary  to  a  vote. 

These  general  principles  are  expressed  in  the  Con- 
stitutions of  all  the  Dioceses,  although  variously  mod- 
ified. Thus  some  Dioceses  admit  all  the  clergy  to  the 
Convention  ;  others  only  those  engaged  in  parishes  ; 
others  admit  also  clerical  teachers  and  Professors  in 
Colleges ;  some  require  a  year's,  some  a  six-months' 
residence  in  the  Diocese ;  &c.  Some  allow  one  lay 
delegate  for  each  parish  ;  others  allow  two  or  three, 
or  more;  some  allow  one  for  every  certain  number  of 
families  in  a  parish  ;  &.c.  So,  in  the  case  of  a  vote 
by  a  division  of  the  clerical  and  lay  orders,  some  Di- 
oceses require  that  one  member  of  the  Convention 
may  call  for  it ;  others,  that  the  clergyman  and  dele- 
crates  of  one  parish,  may  call  for  it ;  others,  that  five, 
or  more  or  less,  members  may  call  for  it ;  &lc.  So, 
in  the  declaring  of  the  vote  on  a  division  of  orders, 
some  Dioceses  require  that  the  clergy  and  laity  in  a 
majority  of  the  parishes  shall  concur ;  others,  that  a 
majority  of  the  two  orders,  without  any  reference  to 
parishes,  shall  concur  ;  &c. 

The  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  is   Chairman  of  the 

*  Constitution  of  P.  E.  Churcli,  Art.  6.  Appendix  C. 


94  THE      COMPREHENSIVE      C  H  C  R  C  H  . 

Convention,  and  as  such  has  a  casting  vote.  This  is 
expressly  provided  for  in  the  Constitutions  of  aH  the 
Dioceses;  since,  without  such  a  provision,  the  Bishop 
would  be  excluded  from  the  Convention.* 

*The  writer  would  remark,  that  to  his  mind  there  appears  to  be  an  Im.- 
propriety  in  leaving  this  fact  to  be  expressly  provided  for  in  the  Constitu- 
tions of  the  several  Dioceses.  He  thinks,  tliat,  by  a  special  aiticle  or  clause 
in  the  Constitution  of  the  P.  E*  Chiireh  in  the  United  States,  every  Bishop 
should  be  declared,  ex  efficio,  Cliairman  ofllio  Convention  of  the  Diocese  of 
which  he  is  overseer. 

Having  referred  to  the  freedom  of  tlse  Diocesan  Conyentions,  in  which 
the  Bishop  has  no  other  power  than  that  just  and  fitting  one  of  the  Chair- 
man, it  becomes  us  to  acknowledge,  that  among  all  the  Dioceses  of  the 
United  States,  thei-e  is  one  e.iception  to  the  description  we  have  given.  In 
the  Diocesan  Convention  of  Vennont,  the  Bisliop  has  a  veto  upon  all  the 
proceedings  of  the  body,  even  upon  all  propositions  to  alter  the  Constitu- 
tion of  that  Diocese  which  gives  him  this  power  of  eontrol. 

As  the  Constitution  of  this  Diocese  has  been  the  subject  of  much  and  se- 
vere animadversion  in  the  Church,  it  would  be  unjust  not  to  admit,  that  the 
Convention  of  Vennont  has  also  a  veto  upon  the  Bishop,  which  it  may  ex- 
ercise by  refusing  to  enact  laws  for  his  sanction,  since  without  the  action 
of  the  Convention  no  legislation  can  be  accomplished. 

For  the  sake  of  illustrating  tiie  liberalizing  and  protective  influence  of 
our  General  Constitution,  we  beg  our  reader  to  observe,  that  tliere  is  one 
clause  in  this  Constitution  of  the  Diocese  of  Vermont,  which  leaves  its  Con- 
vention free  to  act,  witliout  any  extraneous  influence  or  interference,  so 
far  as  the  general  legislation  of  the  Church  is  concerned.  It  is  tliis:  "The 
clergy  and  laity  may  elect  officers  without  a  Diocesan."  Under  this  clause 
we  suppose  that  clerical  and  lay  deputies  are  chosen  by  the  Convention  to 
represent  it  in  the  General  Convention  ;  for  it  is  contrary  to  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  P.E.  Church  in  the  United  States,  that  any  Bishop  shall  have 
any  direct  influence  in  the  appointment  of  clerical  and  lay  deputies  from 
hia  Diocese,  except  so  far  as  his  vote,  as  a  member  and  chairman  of  the  Di- 
ocesan Convention  goes.  Its  language  is:  "The  Cliurch  in  eacli  Diocese 
shall  he  entitled  to  a  representation  of  bnth  the  clergy  and  laity,  which  rep- 
resentation shall  consist  of  one  or  more  deputies,  not  e.\cetding  four  of  each 
order,  chosen  by  the  Convention  of  the  Diocese."  Any  Diocese,  therefore, 
whose  Convention  is  not  perfectly  free  to  elect  its  own  representatives  to  the 
General  Convention,  would  not  bo  admitted  into  union  with  the  P.  E. 
Church  in  the  United  States  through  the  General  Convention  ;  and  any  dep- 
uties, which  it  might  elect,  unless  they  ^' represent"  wilhout  qualification 
"  the  Church  in  the  Diocese,"  could  not  take  their  seats  in  the  House  of  Cler- 
ical and  Lay  Deputies. 

The  view  here  presented  is  confinned  by  the  6th  CanOn  of  1838,  which  de- 
clares, that  "no  person,  who  is  a  candidate  for  Holy  Orders  in  this  Church, 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  95 

3.  By  each  Annual  Convention  there  is  a  body  cho- 
sen, called  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese, 
composed  of  clergymen,  or  of  clergy  and  laity,  ac- 
cording to  the  peculiar  rule  of  the  Diocese.  The  re- 
lation of  this  body  to  the  Diocesan  Convention  is 
somewhat  analogous  to  that  of  the  vestry  to  the  par- 
ish. It  is  a  sort  of  sub-Convention,  authorized  to 
act,  at  all  times,  in  certain  specific  matters  which  the 
Convention  has  the  primary  right  to  control  but  can- 
not manage  conveniently.* 

The  chief  duty  of  the  Standing  Committee  is  to 
examine  and  recommend  candidates  for  the  ministry, 
for  ordination ;  and  no  candidate  can  be  ordained, 
except  through  this  recommendation. t 


shall  be  permitted  to  accept  from  any  Diocesan  Convention,  an  appointment 
as  a  lay  deputy  to  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Liiy  Deputies  of  the  General 
Convention."  The  reasons  assigned  for  the  passage  of  this  Canon,  it  is  un- 
derstood, was,  that  the  candidate  is  subject  to  the  Bishop,  and  therefore  up- 
on the  principle  just  asserted  can  not  properly  represent  the  Diocesan 
Church  or  Convention.  (Query  :  Ought  not  the  same  rule  to  be  applied  to 
Deacons  "! 

Each  Bishop  has  his  proper  and  lawful  influence  and  representation  in  the 
General  Convention,  in  his  own  person,  as  a  member  of  the  House  of  Disli- 
ops. 

*  Canon  4,  of  1632,  Section  1.   Appendix  E. 

t  Every  person  ordained  into  the  ministry  of  this  Church,  must  first  be- 
come a  "candidate  for  order?,"  that  is,  be  placed  by  the  bishop  upon  the 
list  of  those  in  his  diocese  who  are  preparing  for  the  sacred  ministry.  Now, 
in  order  to  become  a  candidate,  this  rule  must  be  complied  with:  "No 
person  shall  be  considered  a  candidate  for  orders  in  this  Church,  unless  he 
shall  have  produced  to  the  bisliop,  to  whom  he  intends  to  apply  for  orders, 
a  certificate  from  the  standing  committee  of  the  diocese  of  said  bishop,  that, 
from  personal  knowledge,  or  from  testimonials  laid  before  them,  they  believe 
that  he  is  pious,  sober,  and  honest ;  that  &c."  Canon  4,  of  1838,  section  2. 
After  a  person  has  been  admitted  a  candidate,  and  is  prepared  for  ordina- 
tion, there  is  another  rule  to  be  complied  with  :  "  No  person  shall  be  or- 
dained deacon  or  priest  in  this  Church,  unless  he  e.thibit  to  the  bishop  the 
following  testimonials  from  the  standing  committee  of  the  diocese  for  which 


96         THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

They  are  secondarily  a  council  of  advice  to  the 
bishop,  when  he  desires  their  advice  ;  and  they  may 
also  advise  him,  whensoever  they  themselves  see  fit  to 
do  so. 

Where  there  is  no  bishop,  the  standing  committee 
supplies  his  place  in  all  things  possible.* 

4.  By  each  Diocesan  Convention  four  clerical  and 
four  lay  deputies  are  elected  to  represent  the  Church 
of  the  diocese  in  the  General  Convention. f 

We  wish  this  fact  to  be  especially  noted,  as  it  is  the 
second  great  step  in  the  representative  government  of 
the  Church. 

he  is  to  be  ordained,  which  &c."  Canon  15,  of  1832,  section  1 .  In  the  case 
of  persons,  who  have  been  ministers,  licentiates,  or  students  of  theology 
among  other  religious  denominations,  a  similar  rule  applies  :  "The  party 
applying  to  be  received  as  a  candidate,  shall  produce  to  the  standing  com- 
mittee the  same  testimonials,  &c.  The  standing  committee,  being  satisfied 
on  these  points,  may  recommend  him  to  the  bishop,  &c."  Canon  7,  of  1838, 
section  3. 

These  canons  maybe  seen  entire  in  the  appendices  E  and  G. 

»  Canon  4,  of  1832,  sections  2  and  3,  appendix  E. 

It  would  occupy  many  pages  to  exhibit  the  various  occasions  in  which 
the  standing  committee  are  empowered  to  act — in  the  admission  of  candi- 
dates for  orders — in  the  ordination  of  deacons  and  of  presbyters — in  the 
consecration  and  resignation  of  bishops — in  cases  of  discipline,  &c.  &c.  It 
will  be  enough  for  the  purposes  of  illustration,  to  say,  that  out  of  sixty-one 
canons  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  twenty-nine 
refer,  in  some  particulars,  to  the  standing  committees  of  the  dioceses.  The 
important  Influence  of  diis  body  may  be  easily  surmised  by  a  comparison 
of  these  twenty-nine  canons,  as  we  shall  name  their  numbers,  with  their 
subjects,  as  stated  in  the  appendix,  D.  They  are  canons  3,  5,  10,  11,  12' 
14,  15,  16,  17,  22,  23,  24,  32,  33,  37,  38,  39,  40,  44,  48,  53,  of  1832.  Canons 
4,  5,  of  1835,  Canons  3,  4,  5,  7,  8,  9,  of  1838.  In  every  one  of  these  canons 
there  is  an  order  for  the  action  of  the  standing  committee,  either  as  an  inde- 
pendent body  representing  the  Diocesan  Convention,  or  else,  in  the  case  of  a 
diocese  without  a  bishop,  as  representing  the  whole  ecclesiastical  authority 
of  the  diocese.  To  understand  the  powers  of  a  Diocesan  Convention,  the 
various  agencies  of  tlie  standing  committee  must  be  considered, 
t  Constitution  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  art.  2.    Appendix  C. 


T  U  K     C  O  M  P  11  E  11  K  N  S  1  V  E     CHURCH.  97 

III.  The  General  Convention.  In  this  is  the 
unity  of  the  whole  Church  in  the  United  States  and 
its  territories. 

The  object  of  the  General  Convention  is  to  pro- 
vide legislation  for  the  whole  Church — to  define  a 
uniform  system  of  ecclesiastical  government;  and  to 
promote,  as  far  as  possible,  the  external  unity  of  the 
whole  Church  in  all  those  matters,  the  control  of 
which  is  not  essential  to  the  acknowledged  independ- 
ence of  the  various  dioceses.  It  is  the  body,  through 
which  the  several  dioceses  are  united  with  each  other  ; 
each  diocese  submitting  itself,  in  all  matters  of  gen- 
eral legislation,  to  the  will  of  the  majority  of  the  dio- 
ceses— through  which  all  are  united  (as  in  the  case 
of  individuals  united  with  each  other  in  the  Church) 
upon  the  grand  principles  of  mutual  compromise  and 
general  conformity,  in  all  matters  which  are  not  felt 
by  each  to  be  essential  to  their  common  independ- 
ence, and  which,  of  course,  will  be  most  jealously 
guarded  by  each  separately,  as  well  as  by  all  con- 
jointly. Thus,  while  the  absolute  unity  of  all  is  secu- 
red, the  absolute  independence  of  each  is  maintained 
inviolate  ;  and  this,  indeed,  perpetually,  by  the  very 
nature  of  the  association. 

In  the  General  Convention  all  the  bishops  and  all 
the  clergy  and  all  the  laity  of  the  whole  Church  in. 
the  United  States  are  represented. 

Each  of  these  three  orders  or  classes  has  an  abso- 
lute veto  or  negative  in  the  passage  of  all  the  acts  of 
the  body  ;  so  that  a  concurrence  of  the  three  is  neces- 
sary to  all  legislation. 

9 


08         THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

The  General  Convention  meets  once  in  three  years, 
at  such  time  and  place  as  itself  determines. 

A  majority  of  the  dioceses  must  be  represented, 
before  it  can  proceed  to  business;  bat  the  represent- 
ation from  two  dioceses  may  adjourn.* 

Freedom  of  debate  is  always  allowed. 

Special  meetings  may  be  called,  under  certain 
rules.! 

The  General  Convention  is  in  two  Houses — the 
House  of  Bishops,  and  the  House  of  Clerical  and 
Lay  Deputies. 

Each  House  may  originate  and  propose  acts  to  the 
other  ;  and  each  has  a  negative  upon  the  acts  of  the 
other;  so  that  the  concurrence  of  both  Houses  is 
necessary  to  all  legislation.  The  legislative  powers 
of  each  are  on  an  exact  equality. 

Each  House  elects  its  own  Chairman  and  Secretary; 
and  the  two  Houses  communicate  with  each  other  by 
their  secretaries,  or  by  occasional  committees. 

In  both  Houses,  the  ordinary  rules  of  parliament- 
ary bodies  prevail.  Joint  committees,  and  commit- 
tees of  conference,  are  frequently,  and  whenever  ne- 
cessary, appointed. 

The  two  Houses  unite  with  each  other  in  public 
worship,  at  the  opening  of  the  session,  (when  the  holy 
communion  is  administered,)  and  at  the  close  of  the 

'  Constitution  of  Protestant  Episcopal  Cfiu re Ii,  art.  1.  appendix  C.  There 
are  now  twenty-siz  dioceses  at  unity  througti  (or,  as  it  is  more  commonJy 
expressed,  in  connexion  with)  the  General  Coavenliou.  Fourteen  must, 
therefore,  be  represented,  before  the  General  Convention  can  proceed  to 
business.  The  next  General  Convention  will  meet  in  the  city  of  New- 
York,  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  October,  18-11,  thenceforward  triennially. 

t  Canon  49,  of  1832,  section  1,  Appendix  E. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCn.        99 

session,  (when  the  pastoral  letter — a  letter  of  solemn 
advice,  addressed  to  all  the  Episcopal  parishes  in  the 
United  States — is  read,)  and  during  every  day  of  the 
session. 

1.  The  House  of  Bishops.  This  body  is  compo- 
sed of  all  the  bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States,*  excepting  such  as 
shall  have  resigned  their  Episcopal  charge. t 

Bj  a  resolution  adopted  by  it  in  1804,  it  was  made 
"  a  standing  rule  of  this  House,  that  the  senior  bishop 
present  at  the  opening  of  any  Convention,  shall  pre- 
side," seniority  being  reckoned,  not  from  the  years  of 
human  life,  but  from  the  date  of  consecration  to  the 
office  of  a  bishop.  From  that  time,  until  the  Con- 
vention of  1835,  inclusively,  Bishop  White,  late  of 
Pennsylvania,  presided,  having  never  been  absent 
from  a  single  session.  The  present  Senior  Bishop  is 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Alexander  V.  Grisvvold,  D.  D.  of  the 
Eastern  Diocese.  The  secretary  is  chosen  from  ses- 
sion to  session.  The  present  secretary,  who  for  many 
sessions  has  been  elected,  is  the  Rev.  Bird  Wilson, 
D.  D.  Professor  of  Systematic  Divinity  in  the  Gen- 
eral Theological  Seminary  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church  in  the  United  States. 

In  case  the  House  of  Bishops  shall  fail  to  signify  its 
concurrence  or  non-concurrence  (the  latter  in  wri- 
ting with  the  reasons  therefor)  with  any  act  proposed 
to  it  by  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies,  with- 
in three  days  thereafter,  the  proposed  act  will  become 

*  Constitution  of  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  art.  3,  Appendix  C. 
t  Canon  32,  of  1832,  scot.  7,  Appendix  E. 


100      THE      com  PRE  11  E  N  S  I  VE      CHURCH. 

a  law.  No  such  provision  exists  in  regard  to  any 
measure  originating  with  the  House  of  Bishops,  and 
proposed  by  them  to  the  other  House. 

As  the  mode  of  conducting  the  business  of  this 
body  is  perfectly  simple,  and  all  the  important  par- 
ticulars are  stated  in  the  general  remarks  above  made 
upon  both  Houses,  we  close  our  notice  of  it  by  a 
reference  to  the  note  here  subjoined  as  our  authority.* 

2.  The  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies.  This 
body  is  composed,  as  has  been  mentioned,  of  Clerical 
and  Lay  Deputies,  four  of  each  order  being  elected  by 
each  Diocesan  Convention  to  represent  it  in  the 
samc.t 

The  Chairman  and  Secretary  of  this  body  are  cho- 
sen from  session  to  session.  The  Rev.  William  E. 
Wyatt,  D.  D.  of  Baltimore,  has,  for  several  sessions 
last  past,  been  elected  president ;  and  the  Rev.  Henry 
Authon,  D.  D.  of  New  York  city,  the  present  secre- 
tary, has  also  been  elected,  for  several  sessions,  to  the 
office  which  he  now  fills. 

Any  question  may,  (if  the  clerical  and  lay  deputies 
of  any  one  diocese  require  it,)  be  put  to  each  order 
(clergy  and  laity)  separately.  In  case  of  such  a  divi- 
sion of  the  House,  the  mode  of  taking  the  vote  provided 
by  the  constitution  is  as  follows.  Each  order  votes  by 
dioceses,  the  majority  of  each  order  in  each  diocese 
represented  being  counted  as  one  vote  in  that  order. 
To  constitute  a  concurrence  of  both  orders,  there 
must  be,  for  the  clergy,  a  majority  of  the  dioceses  ac- 
tually represented  by  them,  and,  for  the  laity,  a  major- 

*  Constitution  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  art.  3.  Appendix  C. 
t  Constitution  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  art.  2,  Appendix  C 


THB     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.      101 

ity  of  the  dioceses  actually  represented  by  them,  in 
the  present  convention.* 

To  illustrate  the  full  power  of  this  negative  in  the 
House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies,  we  will  state  a 
case.  There  are  now  twenty-six  dioceses  in  con- 
nexion through  the  General  Convention  ;  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  first  article  of  the  constitution  already 
quoted,  a  majority,  that  is,  at  least  fourteen,  of  these 
dioceses  must  be  represented  (each,  according  to  the 
second  article  of  the  constitution,  by  at  least  one  of 
the  clerical,  or  one  of  the  lay  deputies  elected  by  its 
convention,)  before  the  General  Convention  can  pro- 
ceed to  business.  Suppose  now,  it  should  so  happen, 
that,  in  some  meeting  of  the  General  Convention,  all 
the  clerical  deputies  from  the  twenty-six  dioceses,  that 
is,  104  clerical  deputies,  should  be  present,  and  only 
three  lay  deputies  from  three  different  dioceses  should 
be  present,  then  the  majority  of  these  three,  i.  e.  two 
lay  deputies,  w^ould,  in  the  event  of  a  vote  by  the  divi- 
sion of  orders,  have  an  absolute  veto  upon  all  the 
legislation  of  the  General  Convention.  So  it  would 
be,  if  the  case  were  inverted,  and  only  three  or  even 
two  clerical  deputies  were  present.  So  it  would  be, 
if  only  one  clergyman,  or  one  layman,  being  the  only 
representative  from  one  diocese,  should  represent  his 
order  in  the  General  Convention  ;  he  might  require 
the  division  of  orders,  and  veto  all  the  doings  of  the 
Convention.  Such  a  disproportion  in  the  representa- 
tion, as  here  supposed,  is  of  course  only  fanciful  ;  we 
suppose  the  case,  not  as  probable,  or  morally  possible, 

*  Constitution  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  art.  2,  Appendix  C. 
9» 


i 

102  THE   COMPREHENSIVE   CHURCH, 

but  only  to  illustrate  a  fundamental  principle  in  the 
Constitution  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States. 

Thus  the  clergy  and  laity,  as  such,  have  a  negative 
upon  each  other,  not  accidental,  but  constitutionally 
provided.  And,  since  the  House  of  Bishops  and  the 
House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  must  concur  in 
all  legislation,  each  order  in  the  House  of  Clerical 
and  Lay  Deputies  has  actually  a  veto  upon  all  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  General  Convention. 

Thus  the  bishops,  the  clergy,*  and  the  laity,  have 
each  a  veto  power ;  and  the  concurrence  of  the  three, 
as  separate  orders,  is  necessary  to  all  legislation  in 
this  body. 

The  observations  here  presented,  in  connexion  with 
our  previous  statement  of  things  common  to  both 
Houses,  will  suffice  for  the  present  topic. 

In  the  next  General  Convention,  if  all  the  dioceses 
shall  be  fully  represented,  there  will  be  twenty  mem- 
bers in  the  House  of  Bishops,  and  one  hundred  and 
four  clergymen,  and  one  hundred  and  four  laymen,  in 
the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies. 

*  It  is  possible,  that  to  some  minds  there  may  seem  to  be  no  propriety  in 
recojjnizing  the  bisliops  and  clergy  as  separate  orders,  having  a  reciprocal 
check  upon  each  other.  But  he  must  be  a  careless  reader  in  the  iiistory  of 
past  ages,  and  a  poor  philosopher,  and  very  much  unacquainted  with  the 
facts  in  the  case,  who  does  not  know,  that  (so  far  as  the  different  orders  in 
the  Church  can  have  separate  interests)  there  is  a  wider  distinction  between 
the  bishops  and  the  clergy,  tlian  between  the  bishops  and  the  laity.  In  the 
event  of  undue  authority  in  the  hands  of  bishops,  tlie  clergy  are  always  the 
first  to  feel  it,  and  the  most  e.vposed  to  suffer  by  it.  In  the  great  majority  of 
cases,  (and  we  appeal  to  the  history  of  the  past,  and  the  reason  of  things,  and 
to  present  facts,  for  proof,)  the  laity  will  be  willing  to  give  power  to  bishops, 
when  the  clergy  will  strive  to  withhold  it. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.        103 

IV.  The  view,  which  has  been  presented  to  the 
reader,  suggests  one  or  two  comments. 

It  will  be  perceived,  that  there  is  a  very  manifest 
and  beautiful  analogy  between  the  ecclesiastical  insti- 
tutions of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  civil  institutions  of  the  United 
States. 

In  both,  the  power  of  government  resides  primarily 
in  the  whole  people. 

In  both,  the  forms  of  government  are  representa- 
tive ;  in  the  Church,  however,  there  are  no  limita- 
tions in  the  application  of  the  principle  of  universal 
suffrage. 

The  parish  meetings,  and  the  town  or  district  elec- 
tions are  analogous. 

The  parish  vestries,  and  the  select  men  or  common 
councils  of  the  towns  or  cities  are  analogous. 

The  union  of  parishes  into  dioceses,  and  the  union 
of  towns  or  counties  into  states  are  analogous. 

The  independence  of  the  several  dioceses,  and  the 
independence  of  the  several  states  are  analogous. 

The  union  of  the  several  dioceses  into  one  General 
Convention,  and  the  union  of  the  several  states  into 
one  General  Government  are  analogous. 

The  Diocesan  Conventions  with  their  secretaries, 
and  the  State  Legislatures  with  their  secretaries  are 
analogous. 

The  representation  in  the  Diocesan  Conventions, 
and  the  representation  in  the  State  Legislatures,  from 
the  people  directly,  are  analogous. 

The  standing  committees,  and  the  committees  ap- 
pointed by  the  Diocesan  Conventions  for  the  discipline 


104       THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

and  trial  of  the  clergy,  &c.,  in  the  dioceses,  and  the 
Probate  and  County  and  Superior  Courts  of  the  states, 
are,  in  many  particulars,  analogous. 

The  General  Convention  of  the  United  Dioceses, 
and  the  General  Congress  of  the  United  States  are 
analogous;  the  House  of  Bishops  in  the  former  cor- 
responding to  the  Senate  in  the  latter,  and  the  House 
of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  in  the  former,  corres- 
ponding to  the  House  of  Representatives  in  the 
latter. 

So  there  is  an  analogy  in  the  course  and  mode  of 
representation,  between  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  and  the  United  States  ;  the  Diocesan  Con- 
ventions and  the  State  Legislatures  being  chosen 
directly  by  the  people,  and  the  Deputies  to  the  Gen- 
eral Convention  being  chosen  by  the  Diocesan  Con- 
ventions as  the  Senators  to  the  General  Congress  are 
chosen  by  the  State  Legislatures.  The  analogy  is 
even  more  perfect  than  it  seems  to  be.  It  is  true,  the 
members  of  the  lower  House  in  the  General  Conven- 
tion are  elected  by  the  Diocesan  Conventions  as  the 
members  of  the  upper  House  in  the  General  Congress 
are  by  the  State  Legislatures.  But  the  clerical  and 
lay  deputies  are  elected  anew  for  every  General  Con- 
vention, and  not  for  several  consecutive  sessions  as 
the  United  States  Senators  are,  so  that  they  are,  in 
fact,  (although  elected  by  the  Diocesan  Conventions, 
which,  it  must  be  remembered,  are  themselves  new 
every  year,)  more  popular  and  representative  of  the 
peculiar  and  changing  views  and  interests  of  the  pass- 
ing and  present  day  than  are  the  United  States  Sena- 
tors, and  actually  correspond  in  this  respect,  (as  hold- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.       105 

ing  their  seats  for  a  single  session,  and  being  elected 
under  the  peculiar  circumstances  and  changing  inter- 
ests of  the  passing  day,)  to  the  United  States  Repre- 
sentatives. Then  the  bishops,  although  members  of 
the  upper  House  for  life,  are  not  hereditary,  (like 
most  members  of  the  upper  House  in  the  British  Par- 
liament,) but  elective,  like  our  United  States  Sena- 
tors, being  elected  each  one  by  the  convention  of  the 
diocese  to  which  he  belongs.  The  bishops,  too,  are 
generally  elected,  when  in  mature  and  experienced 
and  somewhat  advanced  life,  so  that,  actually,  the 
bishop,  as  a  member  of  the  upper  House  in  the  Gen- 
eral Convention,  will  not  occupy  his  seat  through 
many  sessions  more  than  the  three  several  Congresses 
to  which  each  United  States  Senator  is  elected. 
Hence  members  of  the  House  of  Bishops  as  elected  by 
the  Diocesan  Conventions,  and  holding  their  seats  for 
a  few  consecutive  sessions,  do  actually,  and  almost 
exactly,  correspond  to  the  members  of  the  Senate  in 
the  American  Congress. 

Furthermore,  there  is  an  analogy,  in  the  mode  of 
conducting  business,  between  the  legislative  bodies  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and  those  of  the 
United  States  ;  especially  in  the  necessity  of  a  con- 
currenceof  the  two  Houses  for  all  legislation,  between 
the  General  Convention  and  the  General  Congress. 

The  reader  may  prove  the  foregoing  analogies  for 
himself.  More  might  be  added,  if  it  seemed  neces- 
sary. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  however,  that  the  ecclesiastical 
institutions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  are 
very  much  more  simple  than  the  civil   institutions  of 


106      THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

the  United  States, — the  populai-  representation  being 
more  direct,  and  the  popidnr  suffrage  universal.  This 
assertion  will  be  proved,  by  noticing  two  or  three 
prominent  points  of  diversity  between  the  two  systems. 

Thus,  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  there  is 
no  such  body  in  the  Diocesan  Conventions  as  will 
correspond  to  the  Senate  in  the  State  Legislatures. 
In  the  Diocesan  Conventions,  there  is  but  one  body, 
like  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  Legis- 
latures. In  this  one  body,  there  is  free  discussion 
and  free  action,  without  any  of  the  restraining  influ- 
ences of  an  upper  House.  The  Diocesan  Conventions 
are  the  simple  Representative  Conventions  of  the 
Diocesan  Churches. 

Again,  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  there  is 
no  oflicer  analogous  to  the  Governor  of  a  state,  or  the 
President  of  the  United  States  ;  for  the  bishop  of  a 
diocese  corresponds  rather  to  the  chairman  of  a  State 
Legislature,  endowed  with  certain  larger  and  standing 
powers.  The  Church,  both  diocesan  and  general, 
provides  its  executive  as  occasion  requires;  it  is  its 
own  executive ;  it  does  not  entrust  its  executive  pow- 
ers, by  any  system,  away  from  itself 

Moreover,  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  there 
is  nothing  analogous  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States ;  for  each  diocese  is,  in  respect  of  all 
judiciary  concerns,  independent  in  itself. 

Not  to  tarry  longer  upon  the  comparison,  we  pass 
to  another  comment. 

It  will  be  perceived,  if  any  one  will  look  carefully 
into  the  system  of  ecclesiastical  government  which 


THE     COBIPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       107 

has  been  developed,  that  there  is  in  it  a  remarkable 
comprehensiveness — that  the  elements  of  the  three 
great  systems,  the  Episcopal,  the  Presbyterial,  the 
Congregational,  are  admirably  and  harmoniously  com- 
bined— that  these  are  so  combined,  that  the  entire 
strength  of  each  is  preserved.* 

*  In  reading  over  the  last  sentence,  the  writer  was  reminded  of  an  asser- 
tion very  much  like  it,  applied  by  the  Rev.  George  Waddington  to  the 
Primitive  Church.  In  turning  to  the  "Church  History"  of  that  author,  and 
reading  the  second  section  of  his  second  chapter,  entitled  "  Church  Govern- 
ment," the  writer  was  struck  with  the  minute  correspondence  of  the  system 
exhibited  in  this  section  of  our  little  book,  with  the  system  of  the  Primitive 
Church  as  there  delineated.  The  passage  is  thrown  into  the  Appendix,  No. 
H,  where  the  reader  may  mark  the  resemblance. 

As  there  are  some,  wlio  alvvays  associate,  with  the  name  of  an  Episcopal 
Church,  the  idea  of  an  absolute  or  despotic  government  of  bisliops,  we  take 
this  occasion  to  say,  for  their  benefit,  what  all  Episcopalians  understand, 
that  there  is  a  wide  distinction  between  the  Episcopal  office  and  Episcopal 
government ;  and  that  each  may  exist,  and  does  exist,  without  the  other. 
Thus,  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  and  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  do  each 
exercise  over  all  their  missionaries  and  missionary  stations  an  Episcopal 
(supervisory)  government  without  any  Episcopal  office.  Thus,  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  there  are  both  the  Episcopal  office  and  an 
almost  absolute  Episcopal  government.  Thus,  in  the  Moravian  Episcopal 
Cliurcti  there  is  an  Episcopal  (#cc,  with  almost  no  Episcopal  ^orcrjirneTit. 
And  thus  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  there  is  the  Episcopal  office, 
while  the  government  of  the  Church  is  an  equal  and  mutually-balanced 
combination  of  Episcopal,  Clerical,  and  Laical  power. 

The  office  of  a  bishop,  in  the  estimation  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
(as  may  be  clearly  shown  by  a  collation  of  its  ordinals,)  is  simply  this — to 
ordain  ministers  for  the  Church,  and  to  exert  a  supervisory  watchfulness, 
and  a  constant  and  laborious  moral  influence,  for  the  peace  and  holiness  and 
edification  of  the  flock  of  Christ  over  which  he  is  appointed  a  chief  pastor ; 
and  all  this  according  to  law.  The  government  (i.  e.  control  having  the 
force  of  law  and  compelling  obedience  by  penalties)  of  a  bishop,  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  same  Church,  is  granted  by  the  authority  of  the  whole  Church, 
and  is  more  or  less,  as  the  whole  Church  defines  it.  "It  is  to  be  remem- 
bered," writes  one  who  has  looked  deeply  into  the  history  andtheory  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  "that  there  are  many  rights  and  functions 
held  and  exercised  by  bishops,  not  necessarily  included  in  a  strict  interpre- 
tation of  their  divine  commission,  but— conferred  by  the  Church.    Besides, 


108      THE      C  0  M  P  U  E  II  E  N  S  I  V  E      CHURCH. 

Thus  the  Methodist  will  find  in  this  Church  the 
Episcopal  and  Clerical  influence  which  are  fundament- 
al in  his  system ;  the  Congregationalist  will  find  the 
absolute  and  controling  Laical  influence  which  are 
fundamental  in  his  system ;  and  the  Presbyterian  will 
find  that  united  agency  of  the  Clergy  and  Laity,  which 
he  looks  for, — not,  however,  variable  and  unequal,  as 
must  continually  be  the  case  where  the  two  orders 
always  vote  in  common,  without  any  division,  but 
just,  uniform,  and  constitutionally  guarded  and  per- 
petuated. 

We  wish  our  reader  to  understand  the  completeness 
and  simplicity  and  the  largeness  of  the  system  which 
has  been  unfolded.  It  may  seem  a  solecism,  still 
we  assert  truly,  although  paradoxically,  that  the 
Protestaiat  Episcopal  Church  is  governed  absolutely 
by  the  bishops,  yet  it  is  governed  absolutely  by  the 
clergy  as  a  different  order,  nay,  it  is  governed  abso- 
•lutely  by  the  laity,  as  separate  from  both.  Its  gov- 
ernment is  such,  that  it  associates  the  common  wis- 
dom, while  it  secures  the  independent  rights,  of  these 
three  orders  in  the  Church. 

With  a  further  remark  upon  the  justice  and  repub- 
licanism (and  these  terms  are   synonymous)  of  this 

it  is  a  fixed  and  settled  thing  in  the  organization  of  our  Church,  that  even  in 
the  exercise  of  their  peculiar  and  appropriate  spiritual  functions,  the  hishops 
are  to  act  icithin  certain  limits,  and  in  certain  prescribed  jnodes.  Hence  a 
portion  of  our  constitutional  and  canon  law.  The  same  principle  is  recog- 
nized in  the  English  Church.  It  was  in  the  Primitive  Church.  There  is,  and 
always  has  been,  a  distinction  between  the  regular  and  canonical,  and  the 
irregular  and  vncanonical  exercise  of  the  spiritual  and  divinely-conferred 
authority  of  the  bishops,  as  well  as  of  presbyters  and  deacons." — New 
York  Review,  Oct.  1837,  p.  480. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         109 

system,  we  will  close  the  section.  The  laity,  as  an 
order,  and  as  individuals,  are  a  part  of  the  Church, 
(yet  not  the  whole  Church,)  and  are  peculiarly  inter- 
ested in  all  its  concerns.  It  would  be  unjust  and 
anti-republican  to  exclude  them  from  their  full  share 
in  the  administration  of  all  its  affairs.  So  it  may  be 
said,  and  with  equal  truth  and  force,  of  the  clergy^ 
and  of  the  bishops,  both  as  separate  orders  and  as 
individuals.  Now,  is  there  not  true  justice,  and  true 
republicanism  in  that  system  of  ecclesiastical  govern- 
ment here  exhibited,  which  allows  to  every  individual 
in  the  Church  a  vote  in  all  its  affairs  ;  which  secures, 
conclusively  and  inalienably,  to  every  order  in  the 
Church,  the  right  and  the  power  of  self-protection  J 
and  whose  laws  all,  without  any  exception,  are  and 
must  be  the  harmonious  result  of  the  unconstrained 
suffrages  of  the  whole  Church  ?  Indeed,  is  not  every 
system,  which  does  not  rest  upon  these  strong  princi- 
ples, essentially  opposed  to  justice  and  to  republic- 
anism ? 

Is  not  the  system  of  government  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  so  firm  and  so  broad,  that  all  the 
Christian  people  in  our  land  may  stand  upon  it  and  be 
brethren  ? 

SECTION     VI. 

ORDINATION   AND   DUTIES   OF   MINISTERS. 

Three  orders  or  degrees  of  ministers— Deacons  the  lowest— Presbyters  next 
—Bishops  the  highest — rules  concerning  ordination— Candidate  i  for  or- 
ders-testimonials of  Standing  Committee— preparatory  steps  of  a  Dea- 
con—of a  Presbyter— of  a  Bishop— all  promise  conformity  to  the  doc- 
trine, discipline  and  worship  of  the  P.  E.  Churcli— duties  of  ministers— 
10 


110      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

explained  in  tlic  ordinals — as  commonly  understood--scope  and  variety 
ol'  clerical  influence — the  judgment  of  all  denominations  here  approved. 

The  ministry  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
as  has  been  mentioned,  is  in  three  orders  or  degrees 
— Bishops,  Presbyters  or  Priests,  and  Deacons.*  The 
same  orders,  and  no  others,  exist  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  Great  Britain.  But  there,  ow- 
ing to  the  secular  arrangements  of  the  Church,  and 
its  relation  to  certain  property  held  in  various  ways, 
there  are  various  offices  and  titles  held  by  members  of 
these  three  orders.  Thus,  two  of  their  Bishops  are 
called  Archbishops,  and  the  rest  of  their  Bishops  are 
called  Suffragans ;  and  among  their  Presbyters  there 
are  Archdeacons,  Deans,  Prebendaries,  &/C.  These 
distinctions  in  the  same  orders  do  not  exist  in  the 
United  States.  In  respect  to  their  ecclesiastical  rights 
and  titles,  all  Bishops  here  are  equal,  all  Presbyters 
are  equal,  and  all  Deacons  are  equal. 

I.  No  person  may  be  ordained  a  Presbyter  until  af- 
ter he  has  been  a  Deacon,  nor  a  Bishop,  until  after  he 
has  passed  through  both  of  the  inferior  degrees.  No 
person  may  be  ordained  a  Deacon  under  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  nor  a  Priest  under  twenty-four,  nor  a 
Bishop  under  thirty. t 

Before  any  one  can  be  ordained  at  all,  he  must  be 
received  as  a  "  Candidate  for  Orders,"  that  is,  he 
must  state  his  wish  and  intention  to  become  a  minis- 
ter to  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  in  which  he  resides, 

*  Canon  1,  of  1832,  App.  E.     Also  preface  to   the   Ordinal,  Common 
Prayer  Book, 
t  Canon  8,  of  1832,  App.  E. 


THE     COJIPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       Ill 

and  be  registered  by  the  Bishop  upon  the  list  of  ap- 
proved candidates.  To  be  thus  registered,  he  must 
present  to  the  Bishop  certain  testimonials  of  charac- 
ter and  fitness,  and  also  a  recommendation,  from  the 
Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese.* 

After  this,  when  a  candidate  has  finished  his  pri- 
mary studies,  and  applies  for  ordination,  first  as  a  Dea- 
con, and  then  as  a  Presbyter,  he  must  pass  through 
certain  literary  examinations.!  He  must  also  present 
from  the  Standing  Committee  certain  other  testimo- 
nials to  his  moral  and  religious  character  and  fitness 
for  the  ministry,  before  he  can  be  ordained.^' 

Candidates  for  Orders  and  Deacons  are  both  sub- 
ject to  the  particular  care  and  direction  of  the  Bish- 
op.§ 

Before  a  person  can  be  ordained  a  Bishop,  he  must 
exhibit,  to  the  other  Bishops,  testimonials  of  his  prop- 
er character,  and  of  his  election.  These  testimoni- 
als must  be  signed  by  the  members  of  the  Conven- 
tion which  elects  him,  and  also  by  the  clerical  and 
lay  Deputies  in  the  General  Convention.  Or,  if  the 
election  occur  more  than  a  year  previous  to  the  meet- 
ing of  the  General  Convention,  they  must  be  signed 
by  the  members  of  the  Convention  which  elects  him 
and  approved  by  the  Standing  Committees  of  the  ma- 
jor   number   of  the  Dioceses   in  connexion  with   the 

*  For  a  fuller  detail  of  these  requisites,  see  Canons  4  and  7,  of  1838, 
App.  G. 

t  Canon  14,  of  1332,  and  Canon  5,  of  1838,  App.  E.  and  G. 

t  Canons  15  and  18,  of  1832,  and  Canon  7,  of  1838,  App.  E.  and  G. 

§  Canon  4,  of  1838,  concluding  sections,  and  Canons  10  and  17,  of  1839, 
App.  G.  and  E. 


112   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

General  Convention.  In  both  cases,  the  majority  of 
the  Bishops  must  approve  the  testimonials,  and  con- 
sent to  his  consecration,  before  he  can  be  ordained  a 
Bishop.* 

No  person  may  be  ordained  a  Deacon,  Presbyter, 
or  Bishop,  until  he  has,  in  a  book  kept  by  the  Bishop 
who  ordains  him,  subscribed  the  following  declara- 
tion :  "  I  do  believe  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testament  to  be  the  word  of  God,  and  to 
contain  all  things  necessary  to  salvation  ;  and  I  do 
solemnly  engage  to  conform  to  the  doctrines  and  wor- 
ship of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  Uni- 
ted States."! 

Every  person  ordained  a  Bishop,  publicly  before 
the  Church  at  the  time  of  his  ordination,  repeats  and 
assumes  the  following  promise  to  the  same  effect : 
"  In  the  name  of  God,  Amen.  I,  N,  chosen  Bishop 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  iV,  do  promise 
conformity  and  obedience  to  the  doctrine,  discipline, 
and  worship  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States  of  America.  So  help  me  God, 
through  Jesus  Christ."| 

11.  The  duties  of  the  three  orders  are  defined  in  the 
questions  and  answers  and  exhortations  in  the  three 
ordination  services  respectively.  They  may  be  seen 
at  length  in  the  Common  Prayer  Book. 

They  are,  substantially,  to  fulfil  the  various  duties 
of  the  Gospel  ministry,  as  these  are  commonly  under- 

*  Canons  3  and  5,  of  1832,  App.  E. 

t  Constit.  of  P.  E.  Church,  Art.  7.  App.  C. 

J  See  Ordinal,  Common  Prayer  Book. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         113 

stood  ;  and  to  conform  to  the  laws  of  the  Church,  as 
they  exist  from  time  to  time. 

The  peculiar  duties  of  the  Bishop,  as  may  be  seen 
in  the  Ordinal  referred  to,  are— to  ordain  ministers, 
in  obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  Church  ;  to  see  that 
the  lawful  discipline  of  the  Church  is  duly  adminis- 
tered ;  and  to  exercise  all  possible  moral  influence 
for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  unity  and  edification  of 
the  Church. 

If  the  reader  will  examine  carefully  the  several  or- 
dination services,  in  the  Common  Prayer  Book,  and 
also  the  several  Canons  quoted  in  the  Appendices  E, 
F,  G,  which  relate,  in  divers  particulars,  to  the  min- 
istry, hej  will  perceive  that  there  is  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  a  very  remarkable  scope  and  varie- 
ty of  clerical  influence  and  effort  provided  for. 

It  is  true,  that  these  have  never  yet  been  but  par- 
tially developed  or  improved,  because  the  hitherto 
straitened  circumstances  of  the  Church  have  not  war- 
ranted nor  indeed  called  for  any  new  applications  of 
clerical  influence.  But  it  is  still  true,  that  almost  all 
the  peculiar  varieties  and  modes  of  clerical  influence 
and  effort  now  in  operation  amongst  the  several  denom- 
inations in  our  country  are  actually  provided  for,  and 
in  many  cases  employed,  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church. 

Thus  the  itinerant  or  unsettled  missionary  clergy 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  are  identical 
nearly  with  the  itinerant  clergy  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  Thus  the  Missionary  Bishops  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  correspond,  in  many  respects, 

10* 


114        THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

to  the  Superintendents  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
The  Diocesan  Bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  with  less  powers  and  in  a  definite  district,  ful- 
fil the  vsame  Episcopal  or  supervisory  care  of  the 
Churches,  which  the  Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Church 
fulfil.  The  State  or  County  missionaries  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church,  indeed,  the  Bishops  them- 
selves, are  correspondent  to  the  Evangelists  of  the 
Presbyterian  and  Congregational  Churches.  The 
parochial  or  settled  clergy  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church  correspond  to  the  same  class  in  all  other 
Churches.  Then,  in  the  office  of  Deacon  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  there  is  a  provision 
(which  has  never  yet  been  fully  improved)  for  an  or- 
der corresponding  to  the  local  clergy  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church;  and,  also,  for  an  order  intermediate  be- 
tween the  local  clergy  of  the  Methodist  Church  and 
the  Deacons  of  the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational 
Churches — a  less  educated  and  local,  yet  an  ordained, 
ministry,  assistant  to  the  regularly  settled  parochial 
clergy. 

There  are  sundry  other  modifications  of  clerical 
influence,  provided  for  by  the  system  of  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church.  Not  to  be  tedious,  we  assert 
(what  may  be  proved  and  what  the  reader  may  prove 
for  himself)  that  there  is  hardly  a  single  mode  or 
form  of  the  ministry  existing  in  the  many  bodies  of 
professing  Christians  amongst  us,  which  either  is  not 
actually,  or  may  not  be  easily,  evolved  out  of  the  ex- 
isting system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

In  the  arrangements  of  this  Church  on  the  subject 
of  the  clergy,  or  rather  of  ministerial  agencies,  there 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       115 

is  a  scheme  of  unity  provided,  and  respectfully  and 
affectionately  offered  to  the  several  denominations  of 
Christians  in  our  country. 

SECTION     VII. 

RIG'tlTS    OF    THE   BISHOPS    AND    CLERGT. 

Each  order  has  a  separate  right  in  legislation— a  right  to  fulfil  its  duty  with- 
out rcstraint--ordinary  rights— tliose  of  ths  clergy  well  understood— those 
of  the  Bishops  misunderstood— proper  to  explain— their  rights  all  deflnec? 
by  the  laws  of  the  Church— no  arbitrary  official  power  of  Bishops— they 
cannot  be  oppressive— for  several  reasons— from  the  organization  of  the 
Church— they  are  subjects  of  discipline— under  public  opinion— depend  on 
the  clergy  and  laity— are  elected  by  the  Diocesan  Conventions— subject  to 
their  control— the  Bishops  arc  good  and  trust- worthy  men — elected  for  this 
reason— we  appeal  to  their  character- are  tiiankful  for  them— the  system 
of  the  P.  E.  Church  a  medium  between  extremes— invites  to  unity. 

Each  of  these  orders  has  a  separate  and  an  equal 
right,  as  has  been  illustrated,  with  the  laity,  in  the 
legislation  of  the  Church. 

Each  of  these  orders  has  the  right  to  fulfil  its  ca- 
nonical and  lawful  duties,  as  has  been  represented, 
Avithout  restraint. 

In  all  matters  not  connected  with  their  peculiar 
ministerial  duties  and  official  character,  they  have  the 
various  rights  of  laymen. 

The  rights  of  the  clergy  are  generally  well  enough 
understood.  But  it  will  be  well  to  consider  more  mi- 
nutely the  rights  of  the  Bishops,  as  on  this  subject 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  misapprehension. 

If  any  one  will  take  the  trouble  to  look  over  the 
Constitution  and  Canons  of  the  General  Conventions, 
and  the  ordinals  of  the  Church,  and  observe  also  the 
actual  relation  of  our  Bishops  to  the  Diocesan  Con- 


116      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

ventions,  he  will  be  ready  at  once  to  enquire,  in  al- 
most the  very  words  of  St.  Jerome  to  Evagrius  or 
Evangelus  :  "  What  does  the  Bishop  do,  orcUnatione 
exccpta,  ordination  excepted,  which  the  Presbyter  may 
not  do?" 

The  Bishop  has  canonically  a  general  right  of  su- 
pervision over  the  spiritual  and  other  interests  of  his 
Diocese ;  and  he  has,  moreover,  a  position  of  extra- 
ordinary moral  influence.*  But  he  has  not  a  single 
rigid  beyond,  or  above,  or  aside  from  the  laws  of  the 
Church — which  laws,  as  the  Church  has  made  them, 
so  it  may  change  whensoever  and  howsoever  it  may 
please. 

It  is  evident,  from  what  has  been  shewn,  that  the 
Bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  have  not 
7WW  any  too  much  power,  nor  indeed  any  power  which 
ought  to  be  restrained,  or  which  may  not  be  lawfully 
restrained. 

But  as  many  minds  are  very  apprehensive  that  the 
Bishops  of  this  Church  do  have,  or  at  least  may  have, 
an  undue  and  arbitrary  and  oppressive  power,  we 
will  state  a  few  reasons  to  shew  that  such  an  appre- 
hension is  altogether  unwarrantable. 

1.  The  organization  of  the  Church,  both  general 
and  diocesan,  as  it  has  been  developed,  is  such  that 
both  the  clergy  and  the  laity  have  the  most  unrestrict- 
ed means  of  self-protection. 

*  The  writer  can  not  soon  forget  the  impression  made  on  his  mind,  when 
once  he  heard  one  of  the  Bisliops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  in  re- 
ferring to  the  fact  above  alluded  to,  apply  with  the  deepest  emotion  to  him- 
self that  solemn  and  affecting  masim  of  our  Lord  :  "  To  whom  much  is  giv- 
en, from  him  shall  much  be  required." 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.      117 

2.  The  Bishops  are  as  much  the  subjects  of  eccle- 
siastical discipline,  as  the  clergy  or  the  laity  ;  and  the 
least  assumption,  on  the  part  of  any  one  of  them,  of 
unlawful  or  uncanonical  power,  being  a  violation  of 
his  "  promise  of  conformity  to  the  doctrine  and  dis- 
cipline (i.  e.  laws)  and  worship  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  in  the  United  States,"  would  make  him 
liable  to  presentment  and  trial.  Furthermore,  he 
would  be  so  liable  in  his  own  Diocese,  the  very  place 
where  such  assumption  would  be  first  felt  and  resisted. 

3.  The  Bishops,  be  their  own  dispositions  ever  so 
severe,  are,  equally  with  all  others,  under  the  influ- 
ence and  the  control  of  public  opinion — that  highest 
of  all  tribunals  in  our  republican  country.  Their 
self-love  and  self-respect,  if  nothing  more,  would  pre- 
vent Episcopal  usurpations,  even  if  they  were  not,  as 
they  are,  from  other  causes  impossible. 

4.  The  Bishops  depend,  ordinarily,  for  their  sup- 
port even,  and  for  all  their  prerogatives,  upon  the  free 
action  of  the  clergy  and  laity.  They  know  very  well, 
that  any  attempt  or  effort  to  increase  their  preroga- 
tives would  be  the  very  last  way  to  accomplish  such 
an  object. 

5.  The  Bishops  are  always  elected  (according  to 
the  laws  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church)  by  the 
Diocesan  Conventions.  The  clergy  and  laity  would 
not  surely  elect  over  themselves  either  monsters  or 
tyrants.  In  this  fact  is  the  fullest  security.  If  it 
should  so  happen,  that  any  Bishop,  elected  and  con- 
secrated to  a  Diocese,  should  be  disposed  to  be  arbi- 
trary (yet  by  no  overt  breach  of  the  law  subjecting 


118      THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

him  to  discipline),  one  would  think,  that  his  Diocese 
would  learn  some  carefulness  and  prudence  for  the 
election  of  his  successor.  But  the  supposition  is  im- 
probable ;  for  such  a  Bishop  would  find  his  hands 
tied  continually,  and  his  influence  would  be  destroyed, 
and  he  would  be  compelled  to  one  of  the  two  alterna- 
tives— reformation  or  resignation.  Or,  in  any  event, 
the  Church  could  soon  make  laws  which  should  reach 
and  control  him. 

6.  Apart  from  these  various  considerations,  in  all 
of  which  it  has  been  implied  that  the  Bishops  may  be 
disposed  to  usurpatioii,  there  is  another  security  which 
renders  all  these  considerations  actually  unnecessary, 
and  it  is — the  character  of  the  Bishops.  Who  are 
the  Bishops'/  They  are  men  from  the  ranks,  elected 
by  the  free  suifrages  of  their  brethren  both  clerical 
and  lay — elected  because  of  their  worth,  their  fitness 
for  the  office — tried  men,  who  would  suffer  the  loss  of 
all  things  rather  than  take  one  privilege  unrighteously 
— faithful  men,  who  have,  in  the  laborious  duties  of 
the  inferior  ministry,  proved  themselves  "  worthy  of  a 
good  degree" — men,  who  have  the  confidence  and  af- 
fection of  their  brethren,  whom  their  brethren  gladly 
exalt  to  be  the  first  because  they  are  the  best  in  the 
Church — men  who  will  "  be  to  the  flock  of  Christ, 
shepherds,  not  wolves,  who  will  feed  them,  and  devour 
them  not,  who  will  hold  up  the  weak,  heal  the  sick, 
bind  up  the  broken,  bring  again  the  outcast,  seek  the 
lost,  who  will  be  so  merciful,  that  they  be  not  too  re- 
miss, so  minister  discipline  that  they  forget  not  mercy, 
that  when  the  Chief  Shepherd  shall  appear,  they  may 


THE     COJIPREIIENSIVE     CHURCH.         119 

receive  the  never-fading  crown  of  glory,  through  Je- 
sus Christ  our  Lord."* 

We  are  willing  to  appeal  to  the  character  of  the 
living  Bishops  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Ghurch, 
as  well  as  the  departed,  as  to  one — most  powerful- 
testimony  to  the  well-working  of  our  ecclesiastical 
institutions.  Let  the  reader  look  through  the  list  of 
the  House  of  Bishops,  from  the  meek  and  venerable 
senior,  who,  like  "  Paul  the  aged,"  even  now  fulfils 
laboriously  and  patiently  his  "  care  of  all  the  Church- 
es," down  to  its  junior  member,  who,  like  Timothy 
of  Ephesus,  was  devoted  to  the  work  of  the  Lord 
Christ  "  from  a  child  ;"  and  then  let  him  say,  if  there 
are  in  the  country  twenty  other  men,  whom,  in  re- 
spect of  the  various  qualifications  for  the  Episcopal 
office,  he  would  desire  to  see  in  their  places.  We 
love  our  Bishops ;  we  thank  God  for  such  overseers ; 
we  thank  Him,  that,  whatever  may  be  the  imperfec- 
tions of  our  clergy  or  of  our  laity,  we  may  point  to 
them  and  say  :  "  The  angels  of  the  Churches." 

In  conclusion,  we  ask,  Is  there  any  thing  in  the 
fact  of  having  Bishops  or  overseers,  such  as  those  in 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  whose  powers  are 
all  exercised  in  "  conformity  and  obedience  to  the 
doctrine,  discipline,  and  worship"  appointed  by  the 
Church,  and  who  are  directly  responsible  to  the 
Church  for  all  their  conduct,  and  who,  likewise,  from 
the  very  circumstances  of  their  appointment  to  office, 
must  be  good  and  faithful  men,  is  there  any  thing,  we 
repeat,  to  deter  Christians  from  an  union  with  this 

*  Service  for  the  Consecration  of  Bishops,  Common  Prayer  Book. 


120  THE   COMPREHENSIVE   CHURCH. 

Church?  Indeed,  is  there  not,  in  all  those  arrange- 
ments which  refer  to  the  Bishops  and  clergy,  much 
to  recommend  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  as 
the  "  happy  medium"  between  all  extremes,  and  the 
best  system  for  promoting  the  desirable  result  of 
Christian  and  ecclesiastical  unity  ? 

SECTION     VIII. 

ADMISSION    TO    THE    SACRAMENTS. 

Principles  of  Cliurch  membership  important — two  sacraments — admission 
to  Baptism — requisites — Belief  in  tlie  Scriptures — and  earnest  self-conse- 
cration to  the  service  of  Clirist — no  requisites  beyond  the  spiritual  char- 
acter of  a  Christian — admission  to  the  Lord's  Supper — tluough  Confirma- 
tion wliich  is  tlie  resumption  of  the  Baptismal  obligation — Sacraments 
open  to  all  true  disciples  of  Christ — free  as  the  Saviour's  blood — the  Church 
has  no  right  to  restrict  them  from  any  who  love  their  Lord — the  clergy 
bound  to  administer  them — liable  to  punishment  if  arbitrary — no  substitu- 
tion of  human  traditions  in  place  of  the  Divine  commandments — the  sac- 
raments of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  open  to  all  Christians  in  our 
land. 

The  title  of  this  Section  is  a  phrase  synonymous 
with  the  more  common  phrases :  Admission  to  the 
Church,  or  to  the  privileges  of  the  Church,  or  of 
Church  membership.  Any  person,  having  free  access 
to  the  sacraments  is  in  that  fact  shewn  to  be  in  full 
communion  with  his  brethren.  And  the  chief  sub- 
jects of  watchfulness  are  the  sacraments ;  and  disci- 
pline consists  generally  in  the  limitation  or  forbiddal 
of  sacramental  privileges.  It  is,  therefore,  an  impor- 
tant characteristic  of  any  Church — the  mode  or  rules 
of  admission  to  the  sacraments. 

The  sacraments  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
in  the  language  of  its  catechism,  are  **  two  only,  as 


THK     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       12i 

generally  necessary  to  salvation,  that  is  to  say,  Bap- 
tism and  the  Supper  of  the  Lord.'' 

1.  Baptism.  The  rule  for  admission  to  baptism  is 
in  the  rubric  prefatory  to  the  Office  for  its  ministra- 
tion :  "When  any  such  persons  as  are  of  riper  years 
are  to  be  baptized,  timely  notice  shall  be  given  to  the 
minister  ;  so  that  due  care  may  be  taken  for  their  exam- 
ination, whether  they  be  sufficiently  instructed  in  the 
principles  of  the  Christian  Religion ;  and  that  they 
may  be  exhorted  to  prepare  themselves,  with  prayers 
and  fasting,  for  the  receiving  of  this  Holy  Sacrament." 

The  only  public  confession  required  is  in  the  fol- 
lowing extract  from  the  same  service  : 

"  The  Minister  shall  then  demand  of  the  Persons  to  be  baptized  as  follows; 
the  Questions  being  considered  as  addressed  to  them  severally,  and  the 
Answers  to  be  made  accordingly. 

Cluestion.  Dost  thou  renounce  the  devil  and  till  his  works, 
t'le  vain  pomp  and  glory  of  the  world,  with  all  covetous  desires 
of  the  same,  and  the  sinful  desires  of  the  flesh  ;  so  that  thou  wilt 
not  follow,  nor  be  led  by  them  1 

Ans.  I  renounce  them  all ;  and,  by  God's  help,  will  endeavour 
not  to  follow,  nor  be  led  by  them. 

Cluest.  Dost  thou  believe  all  the  Articles  of  the  Christian 
Faith,  as  contained  in  tlie  Apostles'  Creed  1* 

Ans.     I  do. 

Quest.     Wilt  thou  be  baptized  in  this  Faith  1 

Ans.     That  is  my  desire. 

Quest.  Wilt  thou  then  obediently  keep  God's  holy  will  and 
commandments;  and  walk  in  the  same  all  the  days  of  thy  life '2 

Ans.     I  will,  by  God's  help." 

*  This  Creed,  a  concise  and  beautiful  summary  of  Christian  doctrine,  is  as 
follows : 
"  I  Believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth  : 
And  in  Jesus  Christ  his  only  Son  our  Lord;  Who  was  conceived  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  Born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  Suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate,  Was 
crucified,  dead,  and  buried ;   He  descended  into  hell,  (or  He  went  into  the 
11 


122     THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

It  will  be  perceived,  that  nothing  is  required  for 
this  holy  ordinance  of  entrance  into  Christs's  visible 
Church,  more  than  a  solemn  confession  of  Christ ; 
and  self-dedication  to  His  service  ;  and  renunciation 
of  the  sins  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil ;  and 
a  declaration  of  belief  in  the  great  historical  facts  and 
uncontroverted  practical  doctrines  of  Christianity. 
There  is  no  profession  of  any  Philosophy  of  Reli- 
gion, or  of  any  thing  not  clearly  revealed  and  declar- 
ed in  the  Scripture ;  no  requisition  of  any  thing  not 
indispensably  necessary  to  the  spiritual  character  of  a 
true  disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  The  Supper  of  the  Lord.  The  rule  for  ad- 
mission to  the  Supper  of  the  Lord  is  in  the  Rubric 
at  the  end  of  the  Order  of  Confirmation  :  "  There 
shall  none  be  admitted  to  the  Holy  Communion,  until 
such  time  as  he  be  confirmed,  or  be  ready  and  desi- 
rous to  be  confirmed." 

Confirmation  is  administered  by  the  Bishop  to  such 
persons  as  being  prepared  for  the  Holy  Communion 
are  recommended  to  him  by  the  parish  minister  for 
the  ordinance  :  "  The  minister  of  every  parish  shall 
either  bring,  or  send  in  writing,  with  his  hand  sub- 
scribed thereunto,  the  names  of  all  such  persons  with- 
in his  parish,  as  he  shall  think  fit  to  be  presented  to 
the  Bishop  to  be  confirmed."* 

place  of  departed  spirits  ;)  The  third  day  he  rose  from  tliedead  ;  He  ascend- 
ed into  heaven,  and  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God  the  Father  Ahnighty; 
From  thence  he  shall  come  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead. 

I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost ;  The  holy  Catholic  Church  ;  The  Commun- 
ion of  Saints  ;  The  forgiveness  of  sins  ;  The  resurrection  of  the  body,  And 
the  life  everlasting.     Amen" 

*  Rubric  at  the  end  of  the  Catechism. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         123 

The  public  confession,  then,  made  in  Confirmation 
is  all  that  is  required  for  the  Supper  of  the  Lord.  It 
is  in  the  following  : 

"  Then  shall  the  Bi&hop  say  (to  the  persons  to  be 
confirmed),  'Do  ye  here,  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  of  this  congregation,  renew  the  solemn  promise 
and  vow  that  ye  made,  or  that  was  made  in  your  name, 
at  your  baptism;  ratifying  and  confirming  the  same; 
and  acknowledging  yourselves  bound  to  believe  and 
do  all  those  things  which  ye  then  undertook,  or  your 
sponsors  then  undertook  for  you  V 

And  every  one  shall  audibly  answer, 
I  do." 

It  will  be  perceived,  that  the  only  confession  requi- 
red is  the  ratification  or  renewal  of  the  baptismal  vow 
and  faith. 

The  same  remarks  made  on  that  baptismal  confes- 
sion are  equally  applicable  here. 

The  Sacraments  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  we  have  shewn,  are  open  to  all  who  receive 
the  truth  of  the  Scriptures,  and  who  have  devoted 
themselves  to  the  discipleship  of  the  Son  of  God. 
Whatsoever  may  be  his  peculiarity  of  opinion  on  a 
thousand  topics  of  biblical  interpretation  or  of  system- 
atic and  philosophical  theology,  whatsoever  may  be  his 
natural  infirmity  of  mind  or  the  prejudices  of  his  ed- 
ucation, whether  he  be  Calvinist  or  Arminian,  of  the 
old  school  or  of  the  new  school,  or  none  of  these, 
if  he  be  a  true  disciple  of  the  blessed  Redeemer,  the 
man  is  welcome  to  the  sacraments  of  his  Master. 

There  is  a  stronger  view  of  this  fact.     Such  a  man, 


124      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

as  this  referred  to,  may  come  and  demand  admission 
to  the  sacraments,  and  there  is  no  power  in  the  Church 
to  refuse  him ;  he  may  demand  the  sacraments,  and 
he  may  prosecute  the  clergyman,  who  shall  contuma- 
ciously and  arbitrarily  refuse  them  to  him,  even  to 
ecclesiastical  censure  and  degradation.* 

We  ask  the  reader  to  look  again  at  the  requisites 
for  admission  to  the  sacraments,  and  we  tell  him,  that, 
if  he  can  return  the  answers  there  given  to  the  ques- 
tions there  propounded,  he  will  be  welcome  to  all  the 
privileges  of  Church-membership,  nay,  he  has  a  right 
lawfully  to  demand  that  he  be  received  to  an  equality 
in  all  things  with  his  brethren,  in  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church. f 

It  is  in  our  heart  to  enlarge  much  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  this  Section,  and  to  defend  more  elaborately 
these  regulations  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  ; 
but  we  must  leave  them  to  the  decision  of  the  reader 
upon  his  own  investigation  of  their  merits. 

The  theory  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is, 
that  the  sacraments  of  our  Lord  are  as  free  to  all  his 
true  disciples,  as  are  the  benefits  of  his  precious  blood. 
And  sin  is  upon  the  man,  or  the  Church,  that  dares 
to  put  any  bar  between  the  sacraments  and  the  true 
disciple  of  our  Lord.  But,  alas !  how  often  in  our 
Protestant  land,  do   they   "  teach    for  doctrines  the 

*See  the  Section  (No.  11.;  on  Discipline. 

t To  be  a  minister,  be  it  remembered,  however,  more  is  required,  viz. 
"  Conformity  to  the  doctrines,  discipline,  and  worship  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,"  as  these  are  at  any  time  canonically 
defined  by  the  authority  of  the  whole  Church.  This  has  been  explained  in 
Section  6,  on  the  Ordination  and  Duties  of  Ministers,  and  will  be  farther 
explained  in  the  next  Section,  (9)  on  Creeds. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CttltRCH.         125 

commandments  of  men,"  and  substitute  mere  human 
traditions  in  place  of  the  commandments  of  God! 
We  hold,  that  the  Church  may  not  reject  any  whom 
Christ  has  admitted  to  his  love,  and  whom  Christ  will 
not  reject  at  the  last.  If  the  Church  of  Rome  has 
erred  in  withholding  the  cup  from  the  laity,  what  shall 
we  say  of  those  Protestant  Churches,  which  persever- 
ingly  withhold  both  the  bread  and  the  wine  from  all, 
even  true  disciples  of  Christ,  who  cannot  conscien- 
tiously believe,  or  profess  to  believe,  in  certain  pecul- 
iar and  unimportant  dogmas?  When  Christ  our 
Lord  has  declared  :  "  He  that  believeth  and  is  bap- 
tized shall  be  saved,"  and  when  he  has  commanded 
all  those  who  love  him  :  "  do  this,  as  oft  as  ye  eat  this 
bread  and  drink  of  this  cup,  in  remembrance  of  me," 
what  right  has  the  Church  (the  company  of  his  dis- 
ciples bound  to  obey  Him  and  to  fulfil  His  will  in  all 
things)  to  superadd  to  his  commands  the  condition  of 
its  frail  and  unwise  humanity.  At  this  moment  there 
are  thousands  of  Churches  professedly  Protestant  in 
our  land,  contending  with  each  other,  each  systemati- 
cally debarring  forever  from  Christ's  sacraments,  in 
the  keeping  of  itself  (the  "  one  body"),  the  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands  of  Christ's  beloved  disciples, 
who  do  not  conscientiously  believe,  or  declare  a  be- 
lief, in  certain  tenets  or  practices — a  belief  in  which 
is,  upon  their  own  acknowledgment,  in  no  wise  neces- 
sary to  either  the  formation  or  the  proof  of  the  Chris- 
tian character,  a  spiritual  discipleship  of  Christ,  To 
take  a  single  illustration,  there  is  a  Christian  Church 
in  the  United  States,  numbering  about  seven  hundred 


126   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH, 

thousand  members,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ; 
and  it  is  a  distinctively  Arminian  Church.  Now  its 
members  are,  upon  the  [acknowledgment  of  all,  in 
great  numbers,  most  devotedly  pious  and  exemplary 
followers  of  Christ,  r:  Yet  7iot  one  of  these  seven  hun- 
dred thousand  Christians,5could  be  received  into  regu- 
lar standing,  as  a  member,  of  a  large  proportion  of  the 
Churches,  professedly  Calvinistic,  among  the  Presby- 
terians, Congregationalists,  Baptists,  &c.,  of  our 
country.  So  far  as  the  theory  or  system  of  these  last 
named  Churches  is  concerned,  every  one  of  these 
seven  hundred  thousand  Christians  would  be  compel- 
led to  live  and  to  die  without  the  sacraments  of  their 
Lord ;  not  because  they  do  not  love  Christ,  not  be- 
cause they  do  not  wish  his  sacraments,  not  because 
they  do  not  fulfil  all  His  commandments,  but  simply 
because  they  cannot  believe  in  a  certain  way,  upon 
certain  topics,  purely  intellectual  and  not  connected 
with  Christian  spirituality,  simply  because  they  cannot 
comply  with  certain  instructions  or  devices  of  men. 
And  for  aught  we  know  to  the  contrary,  there  may  be 
some  Arminian  Churches  in  our  country  as  particular 
in  the  exclusion  of  Calvinists  from  the  sacraments  of 
their  Lord.  We  speak  not  of  Church  doctrines  but 
Church  systems.  Accordingly  we  say,  that  if  Roman- 
ism be  the  name  of  a  system,  which  sets  up  unlawful 
terms  of  admission  to  the  sacraments,  which  superadds, 
to  Christ's  commands,  merely  human  traditions,  and 
which  therefore  oppresses  and  tyrannizes  over  Christ's 
true  discipIes,Tand  which  therein  disobeys  and  dishon- 
ors Christ,  then  there  is  such  a  thing  in  our  country 
as  Protestant  Romanism  and]  that  on  a  large  scale. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       127 

And  it  is  necessary  that,  the  cry  of  the  great  Refor- 
mers be  continued  even  in  our  day  and  country  : 
"  come  out  and  be  separate,"  until  the  Reformation 
of  Christ's  Church  be  complete,  and  her  primitive  pu- 
rity be  restored,  and  her  members  all  "  stand  fast  in  the 
liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  them  free." 

We  love  our  Christian  brethren  of  all  denomina- 
tions— all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sinceri- 
ty. But  we  cannot,  and  ought  not  to  speak  other- 
wise than  solemnly  and  strongly  of  errors,  especially 
when  they  are  so  widely  prevalent,  and  when  the  very 
perfectness  of  Christ's  Church,  and  the  Christian  lib- 
erty of  his  disciples  are  so  imminently  endangered,  so 
systematically  violated. 

There  is  one  Church  which  may  hold  all  these  dis- 
sentients— one,  in  which  they  shall  all  be  welcome  to 
the  sacraments  of  their  common  Lord,  and  in  which, 
while  they  shall  be  "  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus,"  they 
shall  be  at  liberty  to  differ  as  widely  as  they  may 
please  on  the  many  topics  which  now  divide  them,  the 
determination  of  which  is  not  essential  to  holiness  or 
to  salvation.  Being  thus  united  they  will  have  less  to 
separate  them  even  on  these  points,  and  may  hope  for 
an  honest  and  an  earlier  agreement  in  their  intellectu- 
al theories. 

SECTION     IX. 


Enumeration  of  the  creeds  of  the  P.  E.  Church— in  what  respects  the  creeds 
are  obligatory  upon  the  members  of  the  Church — the  laity — the  clergy-^ 
the  Apostles'  creed  only  to  be  believed  and  confessed,  ei.  animo—lhe  creeds 
may  be  changed  by  the  majority  of  the  whole  Church  in  the  General  Con* 


128       THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

ventiun— the  benefit  of  the  creeds — why  the  Church  requires  any  creed-" 
no  other,  more  minute  and  explicit,  than  tlie  Apostles'  creed,  ought  to  be 
required  for  admission  to  the  sacraments — the  system  of  the  P.  E.  Church 
in  regard  to  her  creeds  favorable  to  the  discovery  and  the  security  of  Chris- 
tian truth — the  P.  E.  Church  fitted  for  the  union  of  all  Cliristians  who 
love  their  Lord  supremely,  arul  each  other  affectionately  and  forbeai'ingly. 

I.  What  are  the  creeds  of  the  P.  E.  Church  1 

These  are  contained  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  ;*  the 
two  books  of  Homilies  ;  the  thirty-nine  Articles  of  re- 
ligion ;  the  Apostles'  creed  ;  the  Nicene  creed  ;  and  in 
the  language  of  the  various  formularies  of  the  Church. 

n.  In  what  respects  are  the  creeds  obligatory  upon 
the  members  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  ? 

The  Apostles'  creed  is  required  to  be  believed  and 
confessed  ex  animo  by  every  person  clerical  and  lay,  in 
communion  with  this  Church  through  the  sacraments. 
This  is  the  only  creed  which  is  required,  to  be  so  be- 
lieved and  confessed  by  any  member  of  this  Church. 
The  reasons  of  the  requisition  were  alluded  to  :n  the 
last  section. 

In  the  case  of  the  clergy  there  is  a  further  obliga- 
tion. None  of  the  clergy,  indeed,  are  obliged  to  con- 
fess their  belief  in  any  other  than  the  Apostles'  creed. 
But  every  Deacon,  and  Priest,  and  Bishop  is  obliged, 
prior  to  his  ordination,  to  "  engage  and  promise  confor- 

*  So  do  all  Churches  claim,  none  more  decidedly  than  the  P .  E.  Cliurch  ; 
as  in  the  6th  article  :  "  Holy  Scripture  containeth  all  things  necessary  to  sal- 
vation ;  so  that  whatever  is  not  read  therein,  nor  may  be  proved  thereby,  is 
not  to  be  required  of  any  man,  that  it  should  be  believed  as  an  article  of  the 
faith,  or  be  thought  requisite  or  necessary  to  salvation."  So,  too,  in  the 
question  put  to  every  Presbyter  and  Bishop  at  his  ordination  :  "  are  you  per- 
suaded that  the  Holy  Scriptures  contain  all  doctrine  required  as  necessarj'  for 
eternal  salvation  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  "i  and  are  you  determined  out 
of  the  said  scriptures  to  instruct  the  people  committed  to  your  charge,  and  to 
teach  or  maintain  nothing,  as  necessarj'  to  eternal  salvation,  but  that  which 
you  shall  be  persuaded,  may  be  concluded  and  proved  by  the  scriptures  7" 


THE     C  O  M  P  n  E  H  E  N  S  I  V  E     CHURCH.       129 

mity  to  the  doctrines  (and  discipline,  in  the  case  of  the 
Bishop,)  and  worship  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States."* 

The  object  accomplished  by  this  engagement  of 
conformity  is  the  harmony,  and  in  general  terms,  the 
internal  unity,  of  the  Church. 

III.  May  the  creeds  be  changed  ? 

The  creeds  are  all  subject  to  the  revisal  and  decis- 
ions of  the  General  Convention  ;  and  may  at  any  time 
be  changed,  or  abrogated,  whensoever  the  majority  of 
the  whole  Church  represented  in  that  body  shall  so 
order,  t 

IV.  We  will  now  briefly  reply  to  two  or  three  en- 
quiries wliich  may  be  proposed  by  different  classes  of 
readers. 

1.  Since  the  members  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  are  expected  or  rather  required  to  believe 
heartily,  and  confess  publicly  only  one  of  them,  and 
that  the  most  concise  and  the  most  general  and  scrip- 
tural in  its  terms,  what  is  the  benefit  of  these  creeds  I 

We  reply  :  These  creeds,  as  they  exist  from  time 
to  time,  are  the  religious  opinions  of  the  actual  pres- 
ent majority  of  the  whole  Church.  On  all  matters 
contained  in  them,  therefore,  the  members  of  the 
Church  learn  to  be  kind  and  tolerant  towards  each 
other. 

Furthermore  and  chiefly,  these  creeds  serve  as  stand- 
ards of  religious  faith  and  duty,  and  are  powerful 
agents  to  instruct  the  ignorant,  to  confirm  the  wa- 

*  See  Section  6,  on  the  "  Ordination  and  Unties  of  Ministers." 
t  CoastitiitioE  of  the  P.  E.  Churcli,  article  8,  Appendix  C. 


130    THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

vering,  to  restrain   the  rash,  and  to  guide  the   enqui- 
ring. 

2.  Since  only  the  Apostles'  Creed  is  made  the  test 
of  religious  (intellectual)  opinion,  for  admission  to 
the  sacraments,  why  does  the  Church  require  any  creed 
for  this  purpose  ? 

We  reply  :  Because  the  confession  of  religious  faith 
on  these  occasions  is  thought  to  be  scriptural,  and  has 
been  practised  by  the  universal  Church  in  all  ages  ; 
and  the  form  on  these  occasions  in  the  apostolical  and 
primitive  Church  was  substantially  the  same  with  that 
contained  in  the  Apostles'  Creed.  We  contend,  more- 
over, that  there  is  nothing  oppressive  in  requiring  the 
confession  of  this  creed ;  for  whosoever  does  not  be- 
lieve in  its  simple  and  scriptural  clauses,  is  an  infidel 
and  no  Christian  in  his  belief,  and,  of  course,  wishes 
for  no  Church  and  no  sacraments. 

As  to  the  abstract  propriety  of  creeds,  as  standards 
of  faith  (not  as  requisites  for  the  sacraments),  in  a 
Church,  we  contend,  that  there  always  must  and  will 
be  such,  from  the  very  nature  of  things.  Even  in 
those  cases,  where  it  is  supposed  that  no  creeds  exist, 
the  prayers  and  sermons  of  the  minister  or  preacher, 
the  Psalms  and  the  Hymns  in  use,  &c.,  are  the  expo- 
nents and  representatives  of  the  religious  opinions, 
that  is,  they  are  the  creeds,  of  the  congregation  which 
adopts  and  approves  them  as  its  own. 

3.  Since  none  other  than  the  Apostles'  Creed  is  ob- 
ligatory (that  is,  under  the  penalty  of  a  refusal  of  the 
sacraments  except  it  be  confessed)  upon  the  members 
of  the  Church ;    and  since  all   persons,   who  believe 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       131 

the  scriptures  and  are  not  infidels,  will  acknowledge 
this  creed,  whatever  may  be  their  differences  in  inter- 
preting and  explaining  the  scriptures, — is  there  not, 
therefore  danger  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  from 
such  liberality  1  and  ought  not  another  and  more  mi- 
nute and  explicit  creed  to  be  substituted? 

We  reply  :  The  Church  has  no  right  to  require  any 
further  intellectual  qualifications  for  the  sacraments, 
than  a  belief  in  the  plain  and  indisputable  facts  and 
doctrines  of  the  scripture,  such  as  is  expressed,  sub- 
stantially, in  the  Apostles'  Creed.  When  it  goes  be- 
yond this,  it  sets  up  human  reasonings,  the  doctrines 
of  men,  as  the  terms  upon  which  men  are  to  receive 
the  privileges  of  Christ's  Church — an  usurpation 
which  can  not  be  justified.  It  is  not  for  the  Church, 
in  the  execution  of  its  trust,  to  say  what  is  danger  on 
the  one  hand,  or  what  is  expediency  on  the  other. 
It  is  simply  to  administer  the  ordinances  of  Christ  up- 
on his  own  terms,  and  as  He  himself  would  to  all  his 
true  disciples,  and  leave  the  protection  of  its  doctrines 
to  the  gracious  and  mighty  .providence  of  its  great 
Head. 

We  grant,  that  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  as  they 
exist  from  time  to  time,  are  liable  to  be  changed  or 
modified ;  but,  we  contend,  there  is  no  danger  to 
Christian  truth,  under  the  regulations  objected  to. 
The  object  of  the  Church  is  not  to  perpetuate  the 
thousand  peculiar  interpretations  of  scripture  and  the 
many  other  opinions,  which  happen  at  any  time  to  be 
generally  maintained.  Its  object  is  to  perpetuate  the 
scriptures,  and  to  develope  and  extend  Christian  truth. 


132   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

It  is  secured  completely  against  any  hasty  or  inimature 
change  of  its  standards;  while,  at  the  same  time,  it 
keeps  itself  ready  and  willing  to  allow  any  change  in 
them,  whensoever  the  cautious  judgment  and  mature 
deliberation  of  the  whole  Church  has  prepared  it  for 
such  change,  and  the  lawful  decision  of  the  true  ma- 
jority demands  it. 

Under  the  existing  regulations  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  there  is  room  for  the  most  free  en- 
joyment of  honest  private  opinion,  and  liberty  for  the 
most  unreserved  discussion ;  there  are  no  penalties 
nor  restraints  upon  opinion  or  discussion.  And  when- 
soever any  opinion,  at  variance  with  any  other  at  pres- 
ent embodied  in  its  standards,  shall  become  the  opin- 
ion of  the  majority  of  the  whole  Church,  it  may  then, 
in  a  quiet  and  regular  way,  be  acknowledged,  and  the 
public  standards  and  teachings  of  the  Church  be  made 
to  conform  to  it.  In  the  mean  time,  it  must  be  thor- 
oughly tested,  and  truth  will  be  promoted  by  the  discus- 
sion. If  the  opinion  be  not  so  manifestly  truth,  as  to 
commend  itself,  in  the  discussion,  to  the  majority  of 
the  whole  Church,  it  certainly  is  not  worthy  of  being 
publicly  or  formally  acknowledged.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  be  so  manifestly  truth,  there  surely  ought  not 
to  be  any  hindrance  to  its  public  and  formal  acknowl- 
edgment. 

Let  the  minority,  then,  whilst  they  have  unrestrain- 
ed access  to  all  the  privileges  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 
and  whilst  there  is  no  bar  to  the  utmost  freedom  of 
discussion,  and  none,  therefore,  to  the  eventual  tri- 
umph of  truth  (and  the  opinions  of  any  hypothetical 


TKK     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         ISS 

minority  are  supposed  by  them  to  be  truth),  be  wisely 
■satisfied,  if  the  opinions  of  the  majority  are  express- 
ed in  the  standards  of  the  Church.  Let  them  labor 
on  for  truth.  If  they  have  it  with  them,  they  will  ul- 
timately and  certainly  carry  the  whole  Church  by  the 
truth.  Let  them  labor  in  faith ;  for  their  efforts,  as 
brethren,  and  within  the  Church,  will  be  vastly  more 
effective  than  their  efforts  as  opponents  or  adversaries 
without  it. 

It  appears  to  us,  that  a  Church,  having  such  regu- 
lations as  these  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
is  constituted,  better  than  all  others,  for  the  elucida- 
lion,  the  extension,  and  the  perpetuity  of  Christian 
truth  ;  and  therefore,  for  the  union  of  all  those  who 
Jove  our  Lord  with  supreme  devotion,  and  who  !ove 
each  other  with  brotherly  kindness  and  affectionate 
forbearance. 

SECTION      X  . 

DOCTRINE. 

The  doctrrne  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  scriptural  and  practical — 
enumeration  of  some  prominent  doctrines — reference  to  standards — the 
position  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  relation  to  doctrines  con- 
iiected  with  the  philosophy  of  religion — the  thirty-nine  articles — especially 
the  seventeenth  article — controversies  concerning  them — formerly — now 
■ceased — benefit  of  the  controversy — history  of  the  articles — their  sense  in 
the  English  Church — to  he  literally  ami  liberally  interpreted — quotations 
from  Bishop  Burnet  and  Bishop  White — hoth  Calvinists  and  Arminians 
always  in  the  English  Church— subscriptions  of  the  clergy — history  of 
the  articles  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States — es- 
tablished in  1801 — are  articles  of  peace — both  Calvinists  and  Arminians  in 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church — members  of  this  Church  free  to  be 
•either,  and  to  discuss  their  opinions — both  clergy  and  laity — but  the  pulpit 
is  protected  from  both^the  clergy  to  preach  only  scripture — these,  if  they 
please,  as  scripture — bat  not  as  a  system — neither  Calvinism  nor  Armini- 
anism,  as  such,  may  be  advocated  or  be  condemned  in  the  pulpit — only  the 
12 


134  THE  COMPREHENSIVE   CHURCH. 

word  of  God  to  be  preached— proved— the  Protestant  Episcopal  Churcli 
well  arranged  to  unite  all  Christiana  of  all  opposing  views  on  these 
subjects. 

The  doctrine  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
as  taught  in  its  various  formularies  and  standards,  is 
strictly  scriptural  and  practical,  rather  than  philosoph- 
ical and  abstract ;  and  this  is  generally,  we  believe, 
as  it  ought  to  be  universally,  the  doctrine  taught  by 
its  living  ministry  from  the  pulpit. 

That  man  is  by  nature  very  far  gone  from  original 
righteousness,  and  utterly  unable  to  do  any  thing 
good  of  himself;  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  made, 
by  his  own  oblation  of  himself  once  offered,  a  full, 
perfect,  and  sufficient  sacrifice,  oblation,  and  satisfac- 
tion for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world  ;  that  no  man  can 
be  saved,  except  he  be  a  disciple  of  Christ,  and  be 
converted  by  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  always  reproving  the  unconverted,  and  sanctifying 
the  watchful  and  prayerful  believer  ;  that  whosoever 
will,  may  (the  Holy  Spirit  being  ever  ready  to  help) 
come  to  Christ  and  be  saved;  and  that  all,  who  do 
not  repent  of  sin,  and  believe  (practically  and  spiritu- 
ally as  well  as  intellectually)  in  the  Son  of  God,  are 
exposed  to  everlasting  damnation,  and  can  never  see 
God  if  they  die  without  repentance  and  without  faith, 
are  cardinal  and  prominent  doctrines,  and  are  contin- 
ually repeated  in  all  its  Confessions  of  Faith  and 
Standards  of  instruction,  exhortation  and  prayer. 

The  doctrines  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
adjunct  to  those  here  mentioned,  and  on  many  other 
points,  which  we  have  no  space  to  notice  or  to  defend, 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       135 

may  be  seen  by  the  reader  who  will   examine  its  pub- 
lished standards. 

Our  chief  design  in  this  Section  is  to  define  the  po- 
sition of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  as  respects 
those  doctrines  which  are  especially  connected  with 
the  philosophy  of  religion,  and  are  known  by  the 
names  of  Calvinism  and  Arminianism.  These  two 
general  names  cover,  in  popular  language,  several 
varieties  of  opinion. 

It  has  been  debated  very  much  formerly,  and  chief-* 
ly  in  the  Church  of  England,  by  the  Calvinists,  that 
certain  of  the  thirty-nine  Articles  of  Religion  are  fa- 
vorable to  their  views;  and  by  the  Arminians,  that 
other  of  the  Articles  and  portions  of  the  public  for- 
mularies are  favorable  to  their  opinions.  That  con- 
troversy was  the  occasion  of  a  very  thorough  histori- 
cal research  into  the  opinions  of  the  first  English  Re- 
formers, and  their  connexion  with  the  Continental  di- 
vines. It  was  also  the  occasion  of  a  very  careful 
comparison  of  the  respective  dates  or  periods,  when 
the  English  Articles  and  Formularies  were  first  arrang- 
ed, and  when  the  Calvinistic  and  Arminian  systems 
were  first  generally  agitated.  The  controversy  has  of 
late  years  almost  entirely  ceased  ;  and  it  is  now  very 
generally  conceded,  that  the  Articles  of  the  English 
Church  (with  which,  in  fact,  the  controversy  is  main- 
ly concerned)  were  framed,  not  with  a  reference  to  the 
systems  known  afterwards  distinctively  as  Calvinism 
and  Arminianism,  but  with  a  reference  to  previous 
systems  maintained  in  the  Churches  of  the  East  and 
of  the  West  prior  to,  and  at  the  date  of,  the  Reforma- 


136       THE     CO'^rPREirENSIfE     CnVRCti. 

tion.  Their  object  was  primarll)-  to  elucidate  the  an- 
cient doctrines  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  to  expose 
many  errors  of  the  Church  of  Rome  ;  and  not  to  de- 
cide upon  questions  which  had  hardly  begun  to  be 
controverted  by  the  Continental  Protestants. 

Not  to  enter  upon  a  discussion  o-f  the  sense  of  the 
Articles,  we  wish  to  state,  that  there  always  have 
been,  in  the  Church  of  England,  both  Calvinists  and 
Arminians,  of  every  grade,  in  full  communion  with 
that  Church  and  in  the  discharge  of  its  highest  offices, 
clergymen  and  laymen  ;  and  that  their  respective  sys- 
tems have  been  very  freely  and  extensirely  treated  and 
disputed,  and  without  subjecting  any  of  the  contro- 
versialists to  discipline.  Now,  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, every  clergyman  is  obliged  to  subscribe  the  Ar- 
ticles "  willingly,  and  ex  animo,  and  acknowledge  all 
and  every  Article  to  be  agreeable  to  the  word  of  God." 
At  the  same  time  each  subscriber  must  take  the  Arti- 
cles "in  the  literal  and  grammatical  sense."  In  this 
way,  while  the  Articles  concerned  in  this  discussion 
are  worded  in  general  terms  capable  of  several  con- 
structions, men  may  conscientiously  subscribe  theni 
with  different  opinions.  The  facts,  referred  to,  shew 
that  even  in  England  these  Articles  are  not  supposed 
to  be  decisive  upon  either  side  of  the  question  be- 
tween the  disputants.  In  confirmation  of  our  state- 
ment, we  may  add,  that  Bishop  Burnet,  at  the  close 
of  his  elaborate  exposition  of  the  seventeenth  Article, 
declares  :  "  the  Church  has  not  been  peremptory,  but 
a  latitude  has  been  left  to  different  opinions;"  and 
Bishop  White,  of  our  own  time,  in  his  *'  CompaFative* 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       137 

Views,"  asserts  :  "  the  Reformers  of  the  Church  of 
England  did  indeed  accommodate  to  an  opposition  of 
opinion  existing  as  early  as  the  fifth  century  of  the 
Christian  Church." 

At  all  events,  whatever  may  be  the  sense  of  the 
Articles  in  the  English  Church,  those  of  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  are  not  to 
be  judged  by  that  sense,  but  by  themselves. 

The  Articles  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  United  States  were  not  established  by  the  Gen- 
eral Convention,  until  September  12th,  in  the  year 
1801,  after  the  whole  subject  of  Articles  of  Religion, 
and  of  these  in  particular,  had  been  before  the  Church 
and  the  General  Convention  for  many  years.  They 
were  finally  adopted,  in  their  present  form,  as  Articles 
of  peace  and  a  Declaration  of  opinion,  and  not  as  au- 
thoritative upon  the  conscience.  They  are  not  bind- 
ing in  any  way  upon  the  laity,  further  than  as  they 
expound  and  testify  to  Christian  truth,  and  illustrate 
the  general  judgment  of  the  Church ;  and  in  this  in- 
fluence, as  testimony,  they  have  great  force.  They 
are  obligatory  upon  the  clergy,  only  as  they  are  em- 
braced under  the  "  promise  of  conformity  to  the  doc- 
trines, &c.  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church." 
This  obligation  is,  nevertheless,  sufficient  for  the 
maintenance  of  concord,  and  of  uniformity  in  the  pub- 
lic instructions  of  the  pulpit. 

An  interesting  and  succinct  history  of  the  discus- 
sion of  the  Articles  in  the  General  Convention,  and  of 
their  final  establishment  in  1801,  is  copied  into  the 
Appendix,  No.  I,  from  the  "  Memoir  of  the  Life  of 


138        TltE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH, 

Bishop  White,"  by  the  Rev.  Bird  Wilson,  D.  D., 
Professor  of  Systematic  Divinity  in  the  General  The- 
ologicd  Seminary  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  United  States. 

From  this  history  of  their  establishment,  if  appears, 
that  all  efforts  to  make  them  speak  more  distinctly  on 
either  side  of  the  controverted  systems  of  philosophi- 
cal Theology  were  rejected;  and  that  the  Articles 
were  finally  left  without  any  reference  to  the  more 
modern  controversies. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  too,  there  are  Calvinists  and 
Arminians  among  both  the  Clergy  and  the  Laity  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States, 
and  all  are  considered  as  perfectly  justified  in  holding 
their  particular  views. 

The  opinion  of  the  writer,  which  he  states  with 
diffidence,  as  he  has  formed  it  from  a  consideration 
of  the  history  of  the  Articles  in  our  American  Church, 
as  compared  with  the  obligations  assumed  in  the  ser- 
vices for  baptism  and  confirmation,  and  in  the  ordina- 
tion offices,  is  this — that  all  the  members  of  the 
Church,  both  clergy  and  laity,  are  at  liberty  to  hold 
any  opinions  they  may  see  best  on  these  systems,  and 
are  also  at  liberty  to  discuss  their  opinions,  as  they 
may  please,  and  at  all  times,  with  one  exception.  This 
exception  regards  the  public  preaching"  of  the  clergy. 
The  writer  supposes,  that  no  minister  of  this  Church 
has  any  right  to  advocate  either  of  the  controverted 
systems,  as  such,  in  the  pulpit.  Else,  these  Articles  are 
not  Articles  of  peace,  and  will  not  accomplish  uni- 
formity in  the  public  ministry.     If  one  minister  may 


tHE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.      139 

ai'gue  for,  or  declaim  against,  the  one  system,  another 
minister  has  an  equal  right  to  argue  for,  or  declaim 
against,  the  other  system  ;  and  thus  the  pulpit  may  be 
contradictory,  and  the  Articles  be  made,  contrary  to 
their  design,  Articles  of  contention.  The  writer  sup- 
poses, that  in  the  purpose  of  this  Church,  no  minis- 
ter is  to  be  known,  in  his  pulpit,  as  a  Calvinist  or  an 
Arminian ;  that  he  has  no  right  there  to  preach  the 
one  or  the  other  system,  or  to  condemn  the  one  or  the 
other,  as  such.  He  has  a  right  to  explain  the  Articles, 
as  the  decisions  of  the  Church,  or  to  preach  on  any 
of  their  topics  as  scriptural,  in  the  pulpit.  He  may 
advocate  a  philosophical  system  out  of  the  pulpit,  as 
he  may  see  fit.  But  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  the  entire  preaching  of  the  minister,  and  all 
the  instruction  he  may  communicate  to  any,  in  his 
ministerial  or  official  character,  must  be  purely  scrip- 
tural. The  office  of  the  ministry  in  this  Church  is 
solemnly,  and  singly,  and  jealously  devoted  to  the 
heralding  of  the  word  of  God. 

A  few  extracts  from  the  Ordination  Services  will 
sustain  our  assertion.  In  the  exhortation  in  the  Ordi- 
nation of  Priests  is  the  following  decisive  passage  : 

"  Forasmuch  then  as  your  Office  is  both  of  so  great 
excellency,  and  of  so  great  difficulty,  ye  see  with  how 
great  care  and  study  ye  ought  to  apply  yourselves,  as 
well  to  show  yourselves  dutiful  and  thankful  unto 
that  Lord  who  hath  placed  you  in  so  high  a  dignity ; 
as  also  to  beware  that  neither  you  yourselves  offend, 
nor  be  occasion  that  others  offend.  Howbeit  ye  can- 
not have  a  mind  and  will  thereto  of  yourselves ;  for 


140  THE   COMPREHENSIVE   CHURCH. 

that  will  and  ability  is  given  of  God  alone  :  therefore 
ye  ought,  and  have  need  to  pray  earnestly  for  his  Ho- 
ly Spirit.  And  seeing  that  ye  cannot  by  any  other 
means  compass  the  doing  of  so  weighty  a  work,  per- 
taining to  the  salvation  of  man,  hut  with  doctrine  and 
exhortation  taken  out  of  the  holy  Scriptures,  and  with 
a  life  agreeable  to  the  same  ;  consider  how  studious 
ye  ought  to  be  in  reading  and  learning  the  Scriptures, 
and  in  framing  the  manners  both  of  yourselves  and  of 
them  that  specially  pertain  unto  you,  according  to  the 
rule  of  the  same  Scriptures;  and  for  this  self-same 
cause,  how  ye  ought  to  forsake  and  set  aside,  as  much 
as  ye  may,  all  worldly  cares  and  studies. 

"  We  have  good  hope  that  ye  have  well  weighed 
these  things  with  yourselves  long  before  this  time ; 
and  that  ye  have  clearly  determined,  by  God's  grace, 
to  give  yourselves  wholly  to  this  OfRce,  whereunto  it 
hath  pleased  God  to  call  you  :  so  that,  as  much  as  lieth 
in  you,  ye  will  apply  yourselves  wholly  to  this  one 
thing,  and  draw  all  your  cares  and  studies  this  way  ; 
and  that  ye  will  continually  pray  to  God  the  Father^ 
by  the  mediation  of  our  only  Saviour  Jesus  Christ, 
for  the  heavenly  assistance  of  the  Holy  Ghost  :  that 
hy  daily  reading  and  weighing  the  Scriptures,  ye  may 
wax  riper  and  stronger  in  your  Ministry  ;  and  that  ye 
may  so  endeavour  yourselves  from  time  to  time  to 
sanctify  the  lives  of  you  and  yours,  and  to  fashion 
them  after  the  rule  and  doctrine  of  Christ,  that  ye 
may  be  wholesome  and  godly  examples  and  patterns 
for  the  people  to  follow." 

Then,  the  three  questions  and  answers,  in  the  ordi- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         J4l 

nation  of  both  Priests  and  Bishops — the  only  ones 
which  relate  particularly  to  preaching,  are  these  : 

"  The  Bishop.  Are  you  persuaded  that  the  holy 
Scriptures  contain  all  Doctrine  required  as  necessary 
for  eternal  salvation  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ? 
and  are  you  determined,  out  of  the  said  Scriptures  to 
instruct  the  people  committed  to  your  charge,  and  to 
teach  nothing,  as  necessary  to  eternal  salvation,  but 
that  which  you  shall  be  persuaded,  may  he  concluded 
and  proved  hy  the  Scripture  1 

Ansiocr.  I  am  so  persuaded,  and  have  so  deter- 
mined, by  God's  grace. 

The  Bishop.  Will  you  be  ready  with  all  faithful 
diligence  to  banish  and  drive  away  from  the  Church 
all  erroneous  and  strange  doctrines  contrary  to  God's 
word;  and  to  use  both  public  and  private  monitions 
and  exhortations,  as  well  to  the  sick  as  the  whole 
within  your  cures,  as  need  shall  require,  and  occasion 
shall  be  given  ? 

Answer.     I  will,  the  Lord  being  my  helper. 

The  Bishop.  Will  you  be  diligent  in  prayers,  and 
in  reading  the  holy  Scriptures,  and  in  such  studies  as 
help  to  the  knowledge  of  the  same,  laying  aside  the 
study  of  the  world  and  the  flesh  ? 

Answer.  I  will  endeavour  so  to  do,  the  Lord  being 
my  helper." 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  Scriptures  only  are  recog- 
nized in  the  public  ministry  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church;  and  that  there  is  no  obligation,  and  in- 
deed no  permission,  to  its  clergy  to  preach  except  up- 
on the  sacred  scriptures  immediately  and  distinctly. 


142        THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Hence,  while  all  the  members  of  the  Church,  both 
clergy  and  laity,  are  left  at  perfect  liberty  to  form  and 
to  hold  and  to  discuss  any  conscientious  opinions  on 
these  controverted  systems,  and  this,  too,  without  af- 
fecting any  of  their  rights  or  privileges  of  Church- 
membership,  at  the  very  same  time,  the  pulpit  is  pro- 
tected from  discords ;  and  the  people  are  secured  in 
their  right  to  be  always  instructed  from  the  sacred 
Scriptures  ;  and  the  public  ministry  is  compelled  ever 
to  fulfil  its  one  holy  office  of  publishing  the  divine 
truth,  of  proclaiming  to  a  needy  world  the  message  of 
that  mercy  and  salvation  which  God  has  provided 
through  His  Son  and  Spirit. 

Does  not  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  deserve 
the  approbation  of  all  Christians,  however  they  may 
differ  on  these  controverted  doctrines  ?  And  does  it  not 
come  before  them,  and  offer  itself  to  them  all,  as  a 
friendly  arbiter,  by  whom  their  differences  may  be 
reconciled,  or,  at  least,  by  whose  agency  they  may 
*'  agree  to  differ,"  when  they  shall  have  learned  that 
their  Christian  interests,  and  aims,  and  hopes,  and  af- 
fections are  common,  and  that  they  may  worship  God 
in  a  common  temple. 

SECTION     XI. 

DISCIPLINE.  ' 

The  Discipline  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  not  arbitary — regulated 
by  law — the  occasions  defined  by  the  General  Convention — the  modes  by 
the  Diocesan  Conventions — the  subjects — ^Tiie  Ministry — degrees  of  dis- 
cipline— enumeration  of  otTonces  liable  to  discipline — prosecutors — can- 
didates for  orders  liable  as  laymen — mode  of  trial  of  ministers — each  or- 
der tried  by  peers — sentence  pronounced  by  the  Bishop — Tub  Laitv— oc- 


TrtE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.       143 

casions  and  mode  of  Discipline — right  of  appeal — first  to  the  Bishop — then 
to  a  special  Ecclesiastical  Diocesan  court — Discipline  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  rather  merciful  than  austere — defended — open  to  im- 
provement— present  principles  just — proper  to  an  all-embracing  Churcli. 

The  Discipline  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
is  not  arbitrary  ;    it  is  defined  and  regulated  by  law. 

The  occasions,  on  which  discipline  shall  be  admin- 
istered are  all  defined  by  the  General  Convention. 

The  particular  7nodcs  of  its  administration  are  for 
the  most  part  defined  by  the  Diocesan  Conventions. 

The  subjects  of  discipline  are,  all  unworthy  mem- 
bers of  the  Church — both  of  the  ministry  and  the  la- 
ity. 

1.  The  Ministry.  There  are  several  degrees  of 
discipline,  such  as  admonition,  censure,  suspension, 
and  degradation.  A  minister  once  degraded  can  nev- 
er be  restored  to  the  ministry.* 

The  offences  which  make  any  minister  liable  to  dis- 
cipline are  various,  such  as  discontinuance  of  his 
ministry ;  neglect  of  public  worship  or  of  the  holy 
communion  ;  frequenting  improper  places  of  amuse- 
ment ;  presenting  an  unworthy  candidate  for  ordina- 
tion ;  obstinate  refusal  to  resign  a  Rectorship  in  case 
of  certain  specified  differences  with  his  congregation  ; 
violation  of  his  ordination  vows  and  of  the  laws  and 
canons  of  the  Church  ;  as  well  as  immoralities  of  all 
sorts. t 

Any  minister,  wishing  to  renounce  the  ministry  of 
this  Church,  may,  at  his  own  request,  be  displaced ; 

-    *  Canon  39,  of  1832,  Section  1.  App.  E. 
t  Canons  34  and  37  of  1832,  App.  E. 


144     THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

and  if  his  moral  character  be  not  implicated,  this  fact 
shall  be  declared.* 

Whenever  there  is  a  public  rumor,  or  a  formal  com- 
plaint, against  any  minister,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Bish- 
op, or  of  the  Standing  Committee,  as  the  case  may  be, 
to  take  measures  for  bringing  the  individual  accused 
to  trial. t 

Candidates  for  the  ministry  are  liable  in  their  char- 
acter as  Laymen.  If  any  candidate,  however,  shall 
delay,  longer  than  three  years,  to  apply  for  his  first 
and  second  examinations,  or  longer  than  five  years,  to 
apply  for  his  third  and  fourth  examinations,  unless 
the  Bishop  for  sufficient  reasons  grant  him  a  special 
permission  for  such  delay,  his  name  must  be  struck 
from  the  list  of  candidates. | 

In  every  trial  of  a  minister,  the  decision  of  the 
ecclesiastical  court  appointed  or  provided  for  by  the 
Convention  of  the  Diocese  to  which  he  belongs,  is 
definitive.  The  Convention  may  allow  him  a  new 
trial,  if  there  be  new  or  fuller  testimony  to  be  pre- 
sented. But  there  is  no  court  of  appeal  of  higher 
authority  than  the  ecclesiastical  court  referred  to, 
since  each  Diocese  is  independent  in  the  management 
of  its  own  affairs. 

Every  sentence,  after  the  decision  of  such  ecclesi- 
astical court,  is  pronounced  by  a  Bishop,  whether  it 
be  against  a  Deacon,  or  a  Presbyter,  or  a  Bishop. § 

*  Canon  38  of  1832,  App.  E. 

t  Canon  37,  of  1832,  and  Canon  5,  of  1835,  App.  E.  and  F. 

i  Canon  4,  of  1838,  Section  9,  App.  G. 

$  Consit.  of  P.  E.Church,  Art.  6,  App.  C, 


THK     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       145 

2.  The  Laity.  The  occasions  and  the  mode  of 
discipline,  in  the  case  of  the  laity,  are  both  expressed 
in  the  two  First  Rubrics,  Prefatory  to  the  Order  for  the 
administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  as  follows : 

"  If  among  those  who  come  to  be  partakers  of  the 
Holy  Communion,  the  Minister  shall  know  any  to  be 
an  open  and  notorious  evil  liver,  or  to  have  done  any 
wrong  to  his  neighbours  by  word  or  deed,  so  that  the 
Cono-regation  be  thereby  offended  ;  he  shall  advertise 
him,  that  he  presume  not  to  come  to  the  Lord's  Ta- 
ble, until  he  have  openly  declared  himself  to  have  tru- 
ly repented  and  amended  his  former  evil  life,  that  the 
Congregation  may  thereby  be  satisfied  ;  and  that  he 
hath  recompensed  the  parties  to  whom  he  hath  done 
wrong  ;  or  at  least  declare  himself  to  be  in  full  pur- 
pose so  to  do,  as  soon  as  he  conveniently  may. 

"  The  same  order  shall  the  Minister  use  with  those, 
betwixt  whom  he  perceiveth  malice  and  hatred  to 
reign ;  not  suffering  them  to  be  partakers  of  the 
Lord's  Table,  until  he  know  them  to  be  reconciled. 
And  if  one  of  the  parties,  so  at  variance,  be  content 
to  forgive  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart  all  that  the 
other  hath  trespassed  against  him,  and  to  make 
amends  for  that  wherein  he  himself  hath  offended; 
and  the  other  party  will  not  be  persuaded  to  a  godly 
unity,  but  remain  still  in  his  frowardness  and  malice  ; 
the  Minister  in  that  case  ought  to  admit  the  penitent 
person  to  the  Holy  Communion,  and  not  him  that  is 
obstinate  :  Provided,  that  every  Minister  so  repelling 
any,  as  is  herein  specified,  shall  be  obliged  to  give  air 

13 


146  THE   COMPREHENSIVE   CHURCH. 

account  of  the  same  to  the  Ordinary,  as  soon  as  con- 
veniently may  be." 

These  Rubrics  are  condensed  in  Canon  42,  of 
1832,  Section  1,  as  follows.  "If  any  persons  within 
this  Church  offend  their  brethren  by  any  wickedness 
of  life,  such  persons  shall  be  repelled  from  the  Holy 
Communion,  agreeable  to  the  Rubric." 

Every  Layman,  subjected  to  discipline  as  above,  has 
a  right  of  appeal  to  the  Bishop.  And  if  the  Bishop 
think  not  best  to  reverse,  that  is,  if  he  should  approve, 
the  action  of  the  clergyman,  the  person  has  a  right  to 
demand  a  trial  by  such  ecclesiastical  court,  as  is  pro- 
vided for  by  the  canons  of  the  Diocese  to  which  he 
belongs.  And  the  decision  of  such  court  is  defini- 
tive.* 

Any  clergyman,  W'ho  should  exercise  discipline  ar- 
bitrarily and  without  sufficient  and  canonical  cause, 
would  himself  be  liable  to  a  prosecution  (both  civil 
and  ecclesiastical)  by  the  layman  or  others,  for  a  vio- 
lation of  the  canons  of  the  Church. 

If  any  Bishop  should  reverse  the  action  of  a  cler- 
gyman, on  the  appeal  of  any  person  subjected  by  him 
as  above  to  discipline,  the  clergyman  has  a  right  to 
prosecute  the  Bishop,  on  a  charge  of  violating  his  or- 
dination vow  to  "  to  execute  discipline,  &,c.,"  and 
also  of  violating  the  canons  of  the  Church,  and  in 
this  way  he  may  bring  his  own  action  in  the  reversed 
decision  to  an  ecclesiastical  trial.  This  contingency 
is  mentioned,  simply  because  we  wish  to  illustrate 
the  whole  subject.     It  is  one  which  never  has  occur- 

*  Canon  43,  of  1832,  App.  E. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       147 

red,  to  our  knowledge,  and  probably  never  will  occur. 

Thus  the  clergyman  and  the  layman  are  each  pro- 
tected, the  former  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  duty,  the 
latter  against  the  tyranny   of  an  arbitrary  clergyman. 

It  is  perceived,  from  the  foregoing  statements,  that 
the  clergyman  has  the  sole  right  of  exercising  discipline 
in  the  case  of  a  layman  ;  while,  it  is  also  perceived, 
that  the  layman  has  a  right  of  appeal  and  of  self  pro- 
tection, if  he  be  innocent,  and,  indeed,  a  right  of  pun- 
ishing the  arbitrary  and  tyrannical  clergyman. 

It  may  be  supposed  by  some,  that,  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, a  clergyman  will  be  tempted  to  relax  dis- 
cipline and  to  deal  too  leniently  with  even  very  un- 
worthy members  of  the  Church.  If  it  were  so,  it 
would  be  better,  that  the  error  should  be  on  the  side 
of  mercy  than  of  severity,  upon  the  acknowledged 
principle :  "  Better  that  ten  guilty  should  escape, 
than  that  one  innocent  should  suffer."  But,  to  dis- 
prove the  supposition,  let  it  be  remembered,  that,  if 
the  clergyman  feels  more  the  temptation  to  remissness, 
as  an  individual,  he  also,  as  an  individual,  feels  more 
of  responsibility  in  fulfilling  the  personal  and  special 
trust  committed  to  him.  Besides,  while  he  is  faithful 
in  discharging  his  duty,  he  will  in  most  cases  be  ten- 
der towards  the  offending.  And,  again,  he  will  have 
the  most  powerful  and  constraining  motives  to  use  all 
possible  means  of  private  and  pastoral  exhortation 
and  remonstrance  to  reclaim  the  offending,  in  order 
to  save  himself  the  necessity  of  exercising  discipline. 
Finally  under  the  regulations  in  this  Section,  besides 
the  peculiar  benefits  just  referred  to,  there  are  all  the 


148      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

benefits  supposed  lo  be  incident  to  discipline  by  the 
congregation  or  Church  directly ;  for  all  the  individ- 
uals, who,  under  other  regulations,  would  themselves 
administer  the  discipline  in  their  congregational  or 
Church  capacity,  may  now  compel  the  clergyman,  if 
he  be  manifestly  too  remiss,  to  perform  his  duty,  un- 
der the  pain  of  being  brought  by  them  to  ecclesiastic- 
al trial  for  neglect  of  duty  and  violation  of  his  ordi- 
nation vows  and  of  the  canons  of  the  Church. 

It  is  to  be  expected,  that  the  experience  of  the 
Church  and  the  occurrence  of  new  facts  will  suggest 
(as  has  been  already  done  continually)  many  improve- 
ments in  the  details  of  the  whole  system  of  ecclesias- 
tical discipline.  There  will  be  a  continual  approxi- 
mation towards  a  perfect  system,  even  if  such  be  nev- 
er actually  attained.  Still  it  is  thought,  that  the  prin- 
ciples in  the  present  system  are  both  liberal,  and  just, 
and  efficient ;  and,  whilst  they  secure  all  the  members 
of  the  Church  against  the  tyranny  of  the  ministers  or 
of  the  brethren,  they,  at  the  same  time,  provide  ample 
and  effective  instrumentalities  for  promoting  the  peace 
and  honor  of  the  Church,  and  for  advancing  the  Chris- 
tian holiness  of  its  members. 

We  believe,  that  the  principles  of  ecclesiastical  dis- 
cipline in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  are  proper 
for  an  extensive,  an  all-embracing  Church. 

SECTION     XII. 

PUBLIC   WORSHIP. 

Public  worship  in  the  Protestant  Episropal  Cliurch  by  Prccomposed  Formu- 
laries— shall  not  discuss  their  propriety — the  substance  of  tliem  generally 
approved  and  admired — reference  to  an  answer  to  some  objections — gene' 


THE     COMPREnENSlVE     CHURCH.       149 

Vally  used  by  dissenters  in  England— not  in  tliis  country— but  preferred  Iiy 
tnost  of  the  pious  and  intelligent  dissenting  clergy,  and  by  many  laity  in 
our  country— the  Festivals  and  Fasts  of  tlic  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
observed  in  many  denominations— the  reading  of  the  Bible  without  note 
or  comment  in  i)ublic  worship  becoming  common  in  other  denominations— 
also  the  responsive  social  reading  of  the  scriptures  and  worship  better  un- 
derstood— the  Liturgies  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  under  the 
control  of  the  Churcli — may  be  changed  by  a  majoritj — -in  the  Genera^ 
Convention— to  any  extent — even  to  abrogation — sulijcct  of  changes 
sometimes  discussed— when  necessary  or  generally  desired  will  be  accom- 
plished— those  vvlio  love  uniformity  and  order  of  some  sort  in  public  wor- 
ship, may  be  suited  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

It  is  already  well  known  to  the  reader,  probably, 
that  on  all  solemn  stated  occasions,  where  an  Episco- 
palian Congregation  is  convened  for  the  purpose  of 
public  worship,  a  prccomposcd  form  is  employed  for 
the  purpose  of  directing  uniformly  and  regularly  the 
various  devotional  exercises  of  the  assembly. 

Our  object  here  is  not  to  discuss  the  propriety  or 
the  advantages  of  employing  such  a  form. 

As  to  the  particular  forms  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church,  we  believe,  that  if  any  of  our  readers, 
of  whatsoever  Christian  denomination  he  may  be  a 
member,  will  take  the  trouble  to  peruse  candidly  the 
various  contents  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  he  will  be  ready  not 
only  to  tolerate  it,  but  he  will  esteem  it  as  able  and  as 
interesting  a  leader  of  his  devotions,  as  any  to  which 
he  may  have  been  accustomed.* 

The  conviction  is  growing  upon  the  public  mind  of 

*  An  able  answer  to  several  of  the  most  common  prejudices  against  the 
Liturgy  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church— prejudices  originating  alto- 
gether in  a  misapprehension  of  the  subject— may  be  found  in  a  quotation 
from  the  Rev.  Calvin  Colton's  » Tlioughts  on  the  Religious  state  of  the 
Countjy,"  in  the  Appendix,  J. 
13* 


150   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

Protestant  Christians,  tliat  precomposed  formularies 
of  devotion  are  important.  The  Rev.  Calvin  Colton, 
who  spent  several  years  in  England,  (himself  being 
then  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,)  writes  as 
follows  :  "  Having  been  intimate  with  Dissenters 
while  in  that  country,  I  can  say  with  pleasure,  that  I 
never  discovered  among  dissenting  ministers  and  the 
most  enlightened  of  their  laity  any  degree  of  preju- 
dice against  the  Liturgy,  but  rather  a  partiality  in  fa- 
vor of  it.  Indeed,  the  entire  Liturgy  is  actually  used 
in  a  vast  many  dissenting  chapels  of  London  and  over 
the  kingdom.  The  whole  of  Lady  Huntingdon's 
connexion  use  it ;  it  is  used  in  Whitfield's  Chapels  ; 
at  Tottenham  Court  Road ;  and  at  the  Tabernacle, 
Moorfields  ;  and  in  many  others  that  might  be  named. 
I  am  clearly  of  opinion,  that  there  is  little  or  no  ob- 
stacle in  the  way  of  the  return  of  the  great  majority 
of  Dissenters  to  the  bosom  of  the  English  Church, 
except  the  union  of  Church  and  state." 

It  is  not  true,  indeed,  that  in  this  country  Dissent- 
ers have  yet  commenced  the  practice  of  using  the 
Liturgy  regularly.  The  prejudices  have  heretofore 
been  too  strong  against  it.  But  these  are  wearing 
away,  perhaps,  we  may  say,  in  a  great  measure  worn 
away.  The  writer  has  been  acquainted  with  many 
very  respectable  dissenting  ministers,  of  various  de- 
nominations:  and  in  conversation  with  them  on  this 
subject,  they  have  almost  uniformly  conceded  their 
approval  of  a  Liturgy,  and  not  unfrequently  they  have 
expressed  warmly  their  own  desire  to  use  one.  Sim- 
ilar views  are  expressed  often  among  the  more  intelli- 


THE     COMrRElIENSlVE     CHURCH.       151 

g6nt  of  the  dissenting  laity.  The  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  is  now  much  more  generally  known,  and  wc 
believe,  that,  in  the  large  majority  of  the  extempora- 
neous public  prayers  of  the  present  day,  passages  of 
the  Liturgy  will  be  recognized,  naturally  and  liberal- 
ly incorporated  therein. 

Then,  again,  the  solemn  religious  Festivals  and 
Fasts  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  are  com- 
monly approved  ;  and  the  more  important  of  these 
special  religious  anniversaries  are  now  almost  univer- 
sally observed  in  our  country. 

The  extensive  reading  of  the  Bible,  without  note  or 
comment,  which  is  so  prominent  in  all  Episcopalian 
services,  is  becoming  more  common,  and  is  made  more 
prominent  in  the  services  of  other  denominations. 

So,  too,  the  responsive  reading  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  the  responsive  worship,  which  make  every  Epis- 
copalian Church  like  the  social  family  group  of  wor- 
shippers, is  better  understood,  and  is  even  recom- 
mended often  as  worthy  of  imitation. 

Our  object  is  not  to  discuss  the  principle  on  which 
Liturgies  are  composed,  nor  to  explain  or  apologize 
for  the  Liturgy  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
We  have  stated  briefly  the  above  facts  to  illustrate 
the  assertion — that  the  public  are  not  so  much  oppo- 
sed to  a  Liturgy  as  to  the  Liturgy";  and  not  so  much 
opposed  to  the  substance  of  the  Liturgy  as  to  the  par- 
ticular arrangement  of  its  parts.  Some  think  it  too 
long,  others  too  diversified  ;  some  think  it  too  gene- 
ral, others  too  particular  ;  but  all  think  it  good,  all 
admire  it. 


152     THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Our  object  in  this  Section  is  to  call  attention  to  the 
fact,  that  the  Liturgical  Formularies,  the  public  wor- 
ship, or  Common  Prayer,  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church,  are  all  under  the  control  of  the  Church. 
They  may  be  changed  to  any  extent  which,  to  the  ma- 
jority of  the  whole  Church  represented  in  the  Gene- 
ral Convention,  may  seeln  advisable.  The  General 
Convention  has  the  whole  subject  under  its  cogni- 
zance. Any  General  Convention  may  propose  an  al- 
teration or  addition  to  any  extent,  and  it  must  inform 
the  several  Diocesan  Conventions  of  the  proposal ; 
and  if  the  next  General  Convention  thereafter  approve 
it,  the  proposed  alteration  or  addition  becomes  the 
law  of  the  Church.  Thus  changes  may,  at  any  time 
and  to  any  extent,  be  effected,  according  to  the  vary- 
ing circumstances  and  wants  of  the  whole  Church.* 

The  subject  of  modifications  in  the  Liturgy  has 
frequently  been  touched  upon  and  been  considerably 
discussed  in  the  General  Convention.  Some  modifi- 
cations have  been  introduced  ;  others  when  proposed 
have  been  rejected.  There  has  never  yet  been  any 
expression  of  opinion,  sufficiently  general  and  suffi- 
ciently definite,  by  the  whole  Church,  to  warrant  or 
authorize  any  very  extensive  changes.  But  the  spir- 
it of  the  General  Convention  is  liberal,  and  necessa- 
rily so  from  the  mode  of  its  organization ;  and  when- 
soever there  shall  be  any  sufficiently  general  and  defi- 
nite demonstration  by  the  Church  that  extensive  chan- 
ges are  demanded,  then  such  changes  will  be  accom- 
plished. 

*  Constit.  of  p.  E.  Church,  Art.  8.  App.  C. 


THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH.    153 

It  has  been  supposed,  that  in  the  matters  of  public 
worship  there  is  an  inflexible  stiffness  in  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church  ;  that  this  Church  is  bound 
down  to  a  fixed  and  invariable  form,  which  can  never 
be  modified  nor  adapted  to  the  changes  in  the  public 
sentiment  or  taste,  or  to  the  varying  circumstances 
and  wants  of  society.  It  appears  from  our  statements, 
that  this  common  supposition  is  altogether  erroneous  ; 
that,  in  the  matter  of  public  worship,  the  pliability 
of  the  Church  is  as  manifest  as  in  all  its  other  arrange- 
ments ;  that  in  this,  as  in  every  thing  else,  the  will  of 
the  majority  of  the  whole  Church  is  the  supreme  law. 

It  is  astonishing  what  misapprehensions  prevail  in 
regard  to  this  subject.  It  seems  to  be  supposed  that 
a  rigid  and  arbitrary  set  o^  forms  is  necessary  to  the 
very  structure  of  an  Episcopal  Church.  But,  indeed, 
a  perfect  Episcopal  Church  may  exist  without  any  pre- 
composed  forms  whatsoever.  It  is,  however,  generally 
maintained  by  Episcopalians,  that  the  use  of  some 
precomposed  Formularies  of  public  worship  are  scrip- 
tural. The  views  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
on  this  whole  subject  of  the  use  and  obligations  of 
forms  and  ceremonies,  are  expressed  frequently  and 
clearly,  not  only  in  its  constitution  as  just  referred  to 
in  the  last  note,  but  in  its  various  standards.  Thus, 
in  the  34th  Article  it  is  written  :  "  Every  particular 
or  National  Church  hath  authority  to  ordain,  change 
and  abolish  ceremonies  or  rites  of  the  Church,  ordain- 
ed only  by  man's  authority,  so  that  all  things  be  done 
to  edifying."     To  the  same  effect  the  very  preface  to 


154        THE     C  O  M  m  K  II  E  NS  I  V  E     CHURCH. 

the  book  of  Common  Prayer,  at  its  very  beginning, 
declares  : 

"  It  is  a  most  invaluable  part  of  that  blessed  liberty 
toliercwith  Christ  hath  made  us  free,  that  in  his  wor- 
ship, different  forms  and  usages  may  without  offence 
be  allovved,  provided  the  substance  of  the  faith  be 
kept  entire,  and  that,  in  every  Church,  what  cannot 
be  clearly  determined  to  belong  to  Doctrine  must  be 
referred  to  Discipline ;  and  therefore,  by  common 
consent  and  authority,  may  be  altered,  abridged,  en- 
larged, amended,  or  otherwise  disposed  of,  as  may 
seem  most  convenient  for  the  edification  of  the  peo- 
ple, '  according  to  the  various  exigencies  of  times  and 
occasions.' 

"  The  Church  of  England,  to  which  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  these  States  is  indebted,  under 
God,  for  her  first  foundation  and  a  long  continuance 
of  nursing  care  and  protection,  hath  in  the  preface 
of  her  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  laid  it  down  as  a 
rule,  that  '  The  particular  forms  of  divine  worship, 
and  the  rites  and  ceremonies  appointed  to  be  used 
therein,  being  things  in  their  own  nature  indifferent 
and  alterable,  and  so  acknowledged,  it  is  but  reasona- 
ble, that  upon  weighty  and  important  considerations,  ac- 
cording to  the  various  exigencies  oftimes  and  occasions, 
such  changes  and  alterations  should  be  made  therein, 
as  to  those  who  are  in  placesof  authority  should,  from 
time  to  time,  seem  either  necessary  or  expedient.'  " 

"  The  same  Church  hath  not  only  in  her  preface,  but 
likewise  in  her  Articles  and  Homilies,  declared  the 
necessity   and   expediency   of   occasional    alterations 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         155 

and  amendments  in  her  forms  of  public  worship  ;  and 
we  find  accordingly,  that,  seeking  to  '  keep  the  happy 
mean,  between  too  much  stiffness  in  refusing,  and  too 
much  easiness  in  admitting  variations  in  things  once 
advisedly  established,  she  hath«S£.c.'  " 

From  these  extracts,  it  appears  that  the  sense  of 
the  Church  on  the  subject  has  been  clearly  and  un- 
qualifiedly expressed. 

Now  granting  for  the  occasion,  that  the  present  ar- 
rangements of  the  forms  and  modes  of  public  wor- 
ship in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  are  not  such 
as  would  be  acceptable  to  the  majority  of  all  the 
Christians  of  our  country,  if  they  were  united  in  one 
Church,  is  it  not,  at  the  same  time,  perfectly  manifest 
that,  if  they  were  all  united  in  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church,  they  might  at  once,  and  according  to  the 
existing  laws  of  this  Church,  make  such  arrangements 
as  to  such  majority  would  be  entirely  satisfactory  ?  Is 
it  not  also  manifest,  that  the  majority,  which  exists  at 
any  time  in  this  Church,  may  regulate  to  suit  itself 
and  to  accomplish  what  to  it  may  appear  the  benefit  of 
the  whole,  the  entire  order  and  method  of  public 
worship  ? 

SECTION      XIII. 

EIGHTS    OF    THE   LAITV. 

Arrangement  under  a  single  view  of  previous  observations — the  Laity  an 
order  in  the  P.  E.  Churcli — tlicir  riglits  in  parislies — riglits  in  Diocesan 
Conventions — rights  in  the  standing  committees — rights  in  the  General 
Convention — rights  of  Churcli  membership — rights  in  ecclesiastical  trials 
of  discipline— rights  of  full  and  perpetual  self- protection— their  peculiari- 
ty as  a  constituent  order  in  the  Church  insisted  upon — the  P.  E.  Church 
worthy  of  the  approbation  of  all  Christians. 


1  56      THE      COMPREHENSIVE      C  II  U  U  C  JI  . 

We  propose  to  offer  nothing  new  in  this  section, 
but  to  recapitulate  or  arrange,  under  a  single  view, 
the  rights  of  the  Laity  which  have  been  unfolded  as 
they  have  come  up  in  the  course  of  our  preceding 
observations. 

The  Laity  are  recognized,  as  a  distinct  and  indepen- 
dent order  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  They 
have  a  constitutional  or  chartered  right  to  act  in  all 
the  legislative  affairs  of  the  Church  without  excep- 
tion,— and  this,  not  as  they  happen  to  be  members  of 
legislative  bodies,  but  as  a  separate  and  independent 
order  always  represented  in  those  bodies. 
To  be  somewhat  more  particular  : 
L  The  Laity  have  a  right  to  manage  their  own  pa- 
rochial affairs,  as  members  of  separate  and  indepen- 
dent parishes  ;  to  elect  their  own  ministers  and  settle 
them,  to  hold  corporate  funds,  to  appoint  their  own 
parish  officers,  &c.,  and  finally,  to  elect  or  appoint 
and  send  lay-delegates  from  the  several  parishes  to 
represent  them  in  the  Diocesan  Conventions. 

IL  They  have  a  right,  as  a  separate  order,  in  the 
Diocesan  Conventions,  in  the  discussion  and  passage 
of  all  legislative  acts  ;  in  the  appointment  of  all  con- 
ventional committees  and  officers  ;  in  the  election  of 
standing  committees;  in  the  regulation  of  ecclesiasti- 
cal discipline,  &c.,  ;  and  finally,  in  the  election  of  all 
the  Diocesan  Bishops  of  the  Church,  and  in  the  elec- 
tion of  clerical  and  lay  deputies  to  the  General  Con- 
vention. 

They  have  a  right  in  the  Diocesan  Conventions,  we 
repeat,  being  a  separate  and  independent  order,  to  a 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.         157 

separate  vote  as  such,  and  in  this,  to  an  absolute  veto 
on  all  proceedings  of  these  Conventions  whatsoever. 
If  it  should  so  happen,  that  only  a  single  layman  was 
present  as  a  delegate  in  any  organized  Convention,  he 
would  represent  the  order  of  the  Laity,  and  as  such, 
would  have  a  right  to  the  separate  vote,  and  to  the  velo 
power,  just  as  if  all  the  lay  delegates  from  all  the  par- 
ishes of  the  Diocese  were  present. 

III.  They  have  a  right,  as  members  of  the  standing 
committee  in  many  of  the  Dioceses,  to  act  directly,  as 
well  as  representatively,  in  advising  the  Bishop ;  in 
deciding  (during  the  interims  of  the  General  Conven- 
tion) upon  the  election  of  Bishops  by  other  Dioceses 
and  upon  the  resignation  of  Bishops  ;  in  short,  in  ex- 
ercising all  the  manifold  and  important  functions  of 
that  body,  and  especially  in  recommending  all  candi- 
dates for  orders,  first  to  be  received  as  candidates  by 
the  Bishop,  and  afterwards  to  be  ordained  by  the 
Bishop. 

We  believe  that  in  this  last  mentioned  fact  (as  in 
others)  the  Laity  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
exercise  a  power  beyond  that  exercised  by  them  in 
any  other  denomination  whatsoever.  No  person  can 
be  either  received  as  a  candidate  for  orders,  or  after- 
wards be  ordained,  without  the  consent  and  recom- 
mendation of  the  standing  committee.  The  laity  in 
those  Dioceses  wherein  they  are  members  of  this  body, 
may  control  the  very  power  of  ordination.  The  min- 
isters in  all  other  denominations,  as  we  understand, 
do  actually  have  the  sole  charge  and  control  in  the 
licensing  or  appointing  of  ministers.  The  ordination 
14  , 


158         THE     COMPUEHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

of  ministers  (already  licensed)  in  the  Congregational 
Churches,  is  nearly  equivalent  to  the  settlement  or 
institution  of  ministers  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church. 

IV.  They  have  a  right,  as  an  order,  in  the  General 
Convention,  to  act  in  the  arrangement  and  regulation 
of  all  the  creeds  and  formularies  of  the  Church  and 
modes  of  public  worship ;  in  all  the  legislation  of 
that  body;  and,  finally,  in  the  recommendation  and 
appointment  of  all  the  Bishops  of  the  Church. 

They  have  a  right,  in  the  General  Convention,  not 
only  to  free  discussion,  but  also  to  a  separate  vote,  and 
to  a  veto  power,  in  every  act  of  that  body.  If  it 
should  so  happen,  that  in  any  General  Convention 
there  should  be  but  a  single  lay  deputy  present,  while 
all  the  clergy  and  all  the  Bishops  were  also  present, 
that  single  layman  would  represent  his  order,  and,  as 
such,  might  have  his  separate  vote,  and  his  veto,  in 
all  the  doings  of  the  body. 

V.  They  have  a  right  to  all  the  privileges  of 
Church  membership,  whensoever  they  give  the  evi- 
dence in  their  life,  and  are  willing  to  confess  with 
their  mouth,  that  they  are  devoted  to  the  service  of 
God  in  the  discipleship  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

VI.  They  have  a  right  to  a  fair  trial  in  any  cases  of 
ecclesiastical  discipline,  and  a  right  not  only  to 
protect  themselves  from  arbitrary  or  oppressive  treat- 
ment in  such  cases,  but  also  to  punish  those  who 
would  thus  tyrannize  over  them. 

Not  to  be  more  minute,  (for  the  reader  can  extend, 
from  the  preceding  sections,  the  catalogue  of  rights) 
we  will  state,  that, 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       159 

VII.  Finally,  they  have  a  constitutional  and  char- 
tered right,  and  the  power  also,  to  protect  themselves 
in  the  full  and  perpetual  enjoyment  of  all  their  rights. 

The  point  which  we  wish  our  readers  to  observe 
most  attentively  in  these  statements,  is  this — that  the 
Laity  are  always  regarded  (and  constitutionally  re- 
garded) in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  as  a 
separate  andindcpcndcnt  order ;  and  their  influence  is 
felt,  not  only  as  they  happen  to  be  good  debaters,  or 
happen  to  number  more  or  less  in  an  ecclesiastical 
body,  but  as  they  are  a  eonstitucnt  order — so  that 
whether  they  lead  or  not  in  the  debates,  and  whether 
they  are  few  or  many  in  the  body,  they  have  always, 
as  an  order,  their  independent  and  legitimate  and  con- 
trolling power. 

We  ask  our  readers  to  reflect  upon  the  facts  here 
presented,  and  decide  for  themselves,  whether  any 
system  can  be  more  purely  democratical,  which,  in 
other  words,  would  be,  whether  any  system  can  be 
more  intrinsically  and  uniformly  just,  either  in  its  or- 
ganization, or  in  its  operation — whether  any  system 
can  be  more  deserving  of  the  approbation  of  all  hum- 
ble-hearted and  free-hearted  Christians. 

SECTION     XIV. 

BAPTISM. 

The  meaning  of  Baptism — explained  in  tiie  27tli  Article — the  Baptismal  ser- 
vice to  be  interpreted  by  tl)is  Article— doctrine  compared  witli  the  stan- 
dards of  the  Methodist,  the  Presbyterian,  and  the  Congregational  Churches 
— the  mode  of  Baptism — Immersion  or  affusion — adults  and  infants — re- 
quisites for  Baptism — witnesses  for  adults — sponsors  for  children — duties 
of  witnesses  and  sponsors — Baptism  followed  by  confirmation— will  be 
Ehewn  to  meet  the  views  of  all  Christians. 


100      THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

It  is  proper,  that  we  take  a  more  particular  survey 
of  the  sacraments — those  important  and  peculiar  bless- 
ings which  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  left  in  the  care 
of  his  Church.  We  therefore  exhibit  to  the  reader 
the  sacrament  of  Baptism  as  held  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church. 

1.  The  meaning  of  Baptism.  This  is  explained  in 
the  27th  Article  of  Religion — by  which  also  the  of- 
fice for  the  administration  of  Baptism  is  to  be  inter- 
preted, as  follows  : 

*'  Baptism  is  not  only  a  sign  of  profession,  and 
mark  of  difference,  whereby  Christian  men  are  dis- 
cerned from  others  that  be  not  christened  :  but  it  is 
also  a  sign  of  regeneration,  or  new  birth,  whereby, 
as  by  an  instrument,  they  that  receive  baptism  rightly 
are  grafted  into  the  Church  :  the  promises  of  the  for- 
giveness of  sin,  and  of  our  adoption  to  be  the  sons  of 
God  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  visibly  signed  and  sealed: 
faith  is  confirmed,  and  grace  increased  by  virtue  of 
prayer  unto  God.  The  baptism  of  young  children  is  in 
any  wise  to  be  retained  in  the  Church  as  most  agreea- 
ble with  the  institution  of  Christ."* 

*  This  Article  is  substantially  the  same  with  those  of  most  other  Churches. 
The  17th  Article  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  (formed  upon  the 
above)  reads  thus:  "  Baptism  is  not  only  a  sign  of  profession,  and  mark  of 
difference,  whereby  Christians  are  distinguished  from  others  that  are  not 
baptized :  but  it  is  also  a  sign  of  regeneration,  or  the  new  birth.  Tlie  Bap- 
tism of  young  children  is  to  be  retained  in  the  Church."  The  confession 
of  faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States,  in  the  'J8th  Chap- 
ter is  similar  :  "  Baptism  is  a  sacrament  of  the  New  Testament,  ordained  by 
.lesus  Christ,  not  only  for  the  solemn  admission  of  the  party  baptized  into 
the  visible  Church,  but  also  to  be  unto  him  a  sign  and  seal  of  the  covenant 
of  grace,  of  his  ingrafting  into  Christ,  of  regeneration,  of  remission  of  sins, 
and  of  his  givin;;  up  unto  God,  through  Jesus  Christ,  to  walk  in  newness  of 


THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       161 

2.  The  moth  of  Baptism.  This  is  by  affusion  or 
immersion,  indifferently,  at  the  option  of  the  in- 
individual.  The  Rubric  in  the  public  baptism  of  in- 
fants is  :  "  he  (the  minister,)  shall  dip  it  in  the  water 
discreetly,  or  shall  pour  water  upon  it."  The  Rubric 
in  the  public  baptism  of  adults  is  similar  :  '*  the  min- 
ister then  shall  dip  him  in  the  water,  or  pour  water 

upon  him." 

Baptism  is  administered  to  both  adults  and  infants. 

I.  Adults.  The  requisites  for  the  ordinance,  in  the 
case  of  adults,  are  conversion,  a  new  heart,  whatso- 
ever is  implied  in  the  discipleship  of  Christ,  a  will- 
ingness to  assume  the   obligations  contained  in  the 

life:  which  sacrament  is  by  Christ's  own  appointment,  to  be  continued  in 
his  Church  until  the  end  of  tlie  world.  H.  The  outward  clement  to  be  used 
in  this  sacrament  is  water,  Wherewith  the  party  is  to  be  baptized  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  a  minister 
of  the  Gospel,  laVX'fuUy  called  thereunto.  HI.  Dipping  of  the  person  into 
the  water  is  not  necessary;  but  baptism  is  rightly  administered  by  pouring, 
or  sprinkling  water,  upon  the  person.  IV.  Not  only  those  that  do  actually 
profess  faith  in,  and  obedience  unto  Christ,  but  also  the  infants  of  one  or  both 
believing  parents,  are  to  be  baptized."  (pp.  120 — 1'2'2.)  Tlie  same  words  are 
in  the  Saybrook  platform  generally  approved  by  the  Congregational  Church- 
es of  New  England.  Both  are  nearly  literally  the  same  with  the  29th  Chap- 
ter of  the  Confession  of  faith  owned  and  consented  to  by  the  messengers  of 
the  churches  assembled  at  Boston,  in  New  England,  May,  12,  1680,  (see 
Mather's  Magnalia,  2nd  volume,  Hartford,  1820,  p.  177.)  The  language  of 
the  larger  or  Westminster  Catechism  (question  105,)  is:  "  Baptismis  a  sacra- 
ment of  the  New-Testament,  wherein  Christ  hath  ordained  the  wasliing  with 
water  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to 
be  a  sign  and  seal  of  ingrafting  into  himself,  of  remission  of  sins  by  hia 
blood,  and  regeneration  by  his  spirit ;  of  adoption,  and  resurrection  unto 
everlasting  life  :  and  whereby  the  parties  baptized  are  solemnly  admitted  in- 
to the  visible  Church,  and  enter  into  an  open  and  professed  engagement  to 
be  wholly  and  only  the  Lord's."  These  various  Articles  we  believe  to  be  all 
capable  of  a  scriptural  interpretation,  andcertainly  that  of  the  P.  E.  Church 
Is  to  say  the  least,  as  definite  and  guarded  and  unexceptionable  as  any  of 
them  all. 

n* 


162      THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

answers  to  the  questions  propounded  to  the  person  at 
the  time  of  administering  tlie  rite.  These  questions 
and  answers  have  been  already  quoted  in  Section  8,  on 
Admission  to  tlie  Sacraments,  where  the  reader  may 
find  them.  The  same  requisites  are  declared  in  the 
Rubric  preliminary  to  the  service  for  "  the  ministra- 
tion of  baptism  to  such  as  are  of  riper  years  and  able 
to  answer  for  themselves,"  as  follows  : 

"  When  any  such  persons  as  are  of  riper  years  are 
to  be  baptized,  timely  notice  shall  be  given  to  the 
minister  ;  that  so  due  care  may  be  taken  for  their  ex^ 
amination,  whether  they  be  sufficiently  instructed  in 
the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion  ;  and  that  they 
may  be  exhorted  to  prepare  themselves,  with  prayers 
and  fastings,  for  the  receiving  of  this  holy  sacrament. 

And  if  they  shall  be  found  fit,  &c." 

Every  adult  is  expected  to  have  certain  "  chosen 
witnesses,"  called  godfathers  and  godmothers,  who 
shall  stand  by  his  or  her  side  during  the  administra- 
tion of  the  rite  ;  and  whose  duty  it  shall  be  (it  being 
thus  publicly  and  voluntarily  assumed)  Jto  exercise  a 
special  watch  and  care  over  the  baptized  person.  At 
the  close  of  the  service  of  adult  baptism  the  minister 
addresses  these  "  chosen"witnesses"j^as  follows  : 

"  Forasmuch  as  these  persons  have  promised,  in  your 
presence,  to  renounce  the  devil  and  all  his  works,  to 
believe  in  God,  and  to  serve  him  ;  ye  must  remember, 
that  it  is  your  part  and  duty  to  put  them  in  mind,  what 
a  solemn  vow,  promise,  and  profession  they  have  now 
made  before  this  Congregation,  and  especially  before 
you  their  chosen  witnesses.     And  ye  are  also  to  call 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.      1 63 

upon  them  to  use  all  diligence  to  be  rightly  instructed 
in  God's  holy  word  ;  that  so  they  may  grow  in  grace, 
and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and 
live  godly,  righteously,  and  soberly,  in  this  present 
world." 

2.  Infants.  There  is  but  "  one  baptism."  This 
principle  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  consistent- 
ly maintains.  It  is  the  same  rite  and  implying  the 
same  essential  ideas,  whether  administered  to  the 
adult  or  the  infant ;  there  is  no  such  thing  as  one  bap- 
tism for  adults  and  another  for  infants,  consequently, 
no  infant  is  allowed  to  be  baptized,  unless  there  are 
with  it  sponsors,  or  sureties  to  assume,  in  its  behalf, 
as  a  legal  and  valid  act,  the  obligations  of  the  ordi- 
nance. The  following  passage  from  the  Church  Cate- 
chism will  illustrate  our  remarks  : 

"  Question.  What  is  required  of  persons  to  be  bap- 
tized ? 

Answer.  Repentance,  whereby  they  forsake  sin  ; 
and  faith,  whereby  they  steadfastly  believe  the  promis- 
es of  God  made  to  them  in  that  sacrament. 

Quest.  Why  then  are  infants  baptized,  when  by 
reason  of  their  tender  age  they  cannot  perform  them  ? 

Ans.  Because  they  promise  them,  both  by  their  sure- 
ties; which  promise,  when  they  come  to  age,  themselves 
are  bound  to  perform." 

The  obligations  assumed  are  precisely  the  same,  in 
baptism,  with  the  infant  as  with  the  adult,  the  sponsor 
answering  "in  the  name  of  the  child" — as  his  legal 
proxy  or  representative. 

The   duties  of  the   sponsors   are  expressed  in  the 


164       THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHITRCH. 

following  exhortation  to  them  at  the  close  of  the  ser- 
vice of  infant  baptism. 

"  Forasmuch  as  this  child  hath  promised  by  you  his 
sureties,  to  renounce  the  devil  and  all  his  works,  to 
believe  in  God,  and  to  serve  him  ;  ye  must  remember  ; 
that  it  is  your  parts  and  duties  to  see  that  this  infant 
be  taught,  so  soon  as  he  shall  be  able  to  learn,  what  a 
solemn  vow,  promise,  and  profession  he  hath  here 
made  by  you.  And  that  he  may  know  these  things 
the  better,  ye  shall  call  upon  him  to  hear  sermons  ; 
and  chiefly  ye  shall  provide,  that  he  may  learn  the 
Creed,  the  Lord's  prayer,  and  the  ten  commandments, 
and  all  other  things  which  a  Christian  ought  to  know 
and  believe  to  his  soul's  health ;  and  that  this  child 
may  be  virtuously  brought  up  to  lead  a  godly  and  a 
Christian  life ;  remembering  always,  that  baptism 
doth  represent  unto  us  our  profession  ;  which  is,  to 
follow  the  example  of  our  Saviour  Christ,  and  to  be 
made  like  unto  him  ;  that  as  he  died,  and  rose  again 
for  us,  so  should  we,  who  are  baptized,  die  from  sin, 
and  rise  again  unto  righteousness  ;  continually  morti- 
fying all  our  evil  and  corrupt  affections,  and  daily 
proceeding  iu  all  virtue  and  godliness  of  living." 

It  is  not  required  that  either  of  the  parents  shall  be 
communicants  ;  the  Church  itself  being  willing,  in  the 
provision  of  sponsors,  to  supply  the  place  of  parents ; 
it  being  thought,  likewise,  unjust  to  deprive  the  chil- 
dren of  the  privilege  of  being  dedicated  to  the  Lord 
by  the  public  act  of  the  Church  and  its  ministers,  on 
account  of  the  negligence  or  fault  of  the  parents.* 

*Itis  almost  unnecessary  to  add,  after  exhibiting  the  peculiar  office  and 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         165 

The  act  of  baptism  is  always  followed  by  the  rite 
of  Confirmation. 

The  rule  in  the  case  of  adults  is  in  the  Rubric  at 
the  end  of  adult  baptism  : 

"It  is  expedient  that  every  person  thus  baptized 
should  be  confirmed  by  the  Bishop,  so  soon  after  his 
baptism  as  conveniently  may  be ;  that  so  he  may  be 
admitted  to  the  Holy  Communion." 

The  rule,  in  the  case  of  infants,  is  in  the  conclu- 
ding exhortation  to  the  sponsors. 

"  Ye  are  to  take  care  that  this  Child  be  brought  to 
the  Bishop  to  be  confirmed  by  him,  so  soon  as  he  can 
say  the  creed,  the  Lord's  prayer,  and  the  ten  com- 
mandments, and  is  sufficiently  instructed  in  the  other 
parts  of  the  Church  Catechism  set  forth  for  that  pur- 
pose." 

This  exhortation  is  interpreted,  as  may  be  proved 
by  a  collation  of  the  offices  referred  to,  as  meaning  a 
spiritual  and  experimental  knowledge  of  religion,  as 
opened  in  these  means  of  instruction,  a  willingness 
and  preparedness  to  assume  the  whole  baptismal  vow. 

We  hope  in  our  next  Section,  to  shew  that  the 
views  of  Baptism  held  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  are  such  as  to  reconcile  completely  and  beau- 
tifully the  opposing  opinions  entertained  on  the  sub- 
ject by  different  denominations. 

iluty  of  sponsors,  that  tl)ese  ought  always  to  be  communicants,  and  that  no 
minister  may  be  justified  in  admitting  children  carelessly  to  baptism,  without 
regard  to  the  Christian  character  of  their  sponsors. 


166      THE     C  O  j»r  F  K  K  H  E  K  S  I  V  E     C  II  f  n  C  H  , 


SECTION     XV. 

CONFIRMATION,    THE    SEQUEL    OR    COMPLEMENT   OP   INFANT    EAPTISOT. 

Confirmation  follows  Laptisai — reasons  for  tliis  rule — the  rite  of  admission  to 
the  Lord's  supper — no  new  oljlipjation  assunierl  in  it — the  re-assumption 
of  the  Baptismal  obligation — analogous  in  part,  to  tht;  "  owning  of  ihe 
Christian  Covenant"  in  other  denominations— some  grounds  on  which 
Confirmation  is  defended — special  consideration  of  the  relation  of  Con- 
firmation to  infant  Baptism — Baptism  implies  voluntary  confession  of 
Christ  after  faith— Infant  Baptism  imperfect  without  some  rite  attaclied 
to  it,  as  a  sequel,  for  adult  confession — Confirmation  this  rite — supported 
by  legal  analogies— this  the  view  of  the  P.  E.  Church — proved — impor- 
tance of  Confirmation — a  part  of  a  Comprehensive  System — the  P.  E. 
Church  differing  from  all  Dissenters — and  reconciling  their  controversies 
— the  foregoing  principles  applied  to  the  system  of  Pcdo-Baptists — dis- 
senting churches — which  are  faulty — may  be  reformed  by  the  system  of 
the  P.  E.  Church — applied  to  the  views  of  Baptist  Dissenters — confirma- 
tion shown  to  be  rfe/ncfo  adult  baptism — may  be  by  immersion — Baptists 
may  consistently  with  their  principles  unite  with  the  P.  E.  Chnrch — ob- 
jection answered — our  view  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  CongrcgationaS 
system  of  Baptists — Confirmation,  being  de  facto  adult  Baptism,  is  in 
harmony  with  a  de-facto  ministry,  and  de  facto  sacraments,  such  as  Bap- 
tists acknowledge  and  maintain — the  P.  E.  Church  well  qualified  to  unite 
both  Pedo  Baptist  and  Baptist  Dissenters,  and  thus  to  restore  the  unity  of 
the  Church  of  Cluist. 

Confirmation,  we  have  seen,  is  expected  to  follow 
baptism  as  soon  as  conveniently  and  properly  may  be, 
in  the  case  of  those  baptized,  both  in  their  riper  years 
and  in  their  infancy.* 

«  As  the  form  or  service  for  the  rite  of  Confirmation  in  the  P.  E.  Church 
is  very  short,  and  as  we  refer  to  it  frequently  in  this  Section,  we  throw  the 
whole  of  it,  for  convenience,  into  a  note. 

"  The  order  of  Covjirmation,  or  layiiig  on  of  hands  upon  {hose 
icho  arc  baptized  and  come  to  years  of  discretion. 

Upon  tlip  day  appoinlcil,  all  Ihal  arc  tnbe  Ihcn  Coiifirjned,  liciiif;  placcil  and  standing  in  order 
before  the  Bishop  ;  he,  or  some  oilier  luiaisicr  appoinied  by  liiui,  shall  read  Ihis  preface  fol- 
lowing: 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHUUCH.         167 

The  reason  why  Confirmation  is  expected  to  follow 
baptism  as  soon  as  circumstances  warrant,  is  this — 
that  by  Confirmation  the  person  is  admitted  to  the 
supper  of  the  Lord,  and  it  is  thought  by  the  Church 
that  every  baptized  person  ought  to  come,  at  the  ear- 
liest   opportunity,   to  the    Supper  of  the    Lord.     Of 

To  the  end  that  confirmation  may  be  ministered  to  the  more  edifying  of 
such  as  shall  receive  it,  the  Church  hath  thought  good  to  order,  that  none  shall 
be  confirmed,  but  such  as  can  say  the  Creed,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  the  Ten 
Commandments;  and  can  also  answer  to  sucli  other  questions,  as  in  the 
short  Catechism  are  contained  ;  which  order  is  very  convenient  to  be  observ- 
ed ;  to  the  end  that  children,  being  r.ow  come  to  the  years  of  discretion,  and 
having  learned  what  their  godlathers  and  godmothers  promised  for  them  in 
baptism,  njay  themselves,  with  their  own  mouth  and  consent,  openly  before 
the  Church  ratify  and  confirm  the  same  ;  and  also  promise,  that,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  they  will  evermore  endeavor  themselves  faithfully  to  observe 
such  things  as  they,  by  their  own  confession,  have  assented  unto. 

Then  shall  llie  liishop  sajr, 

Do  ye  here,  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  of  this  congregation,  renew  the 
solemn  promise  and  vow  that  ye  made,  or  that  was  made  in  your  name,  al 
your  baptism  ;  ratifyinzand  continning the  same;  and  acknowledging  your- 
selves bound  to  believe  and  do  all  those  things  which  ye  then  undertook,  or 
your  sponsors  then  undertook  for  you  J 
And  every  uiie  shall  audibly  answer, 

I  do. 

tSisliop.  Our  help  is  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ; 

.Ins.  AVho  hath  made  heaven  and  earth. 

Bishop.  Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord ; 

jlns.  Henceforth,  world  without  end. 

Bishop.  Loril  hear  our  prayer, 

.ins.  And  let  our  cry  come  unto  thee. 

Bishop.  Let  us  pray. 

Almighty  and  ever  living  God,  who  has  vouchsafed  to  regenerate  these  thy 
servants  by  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  hast  given  unto  them  forgiveness 
of  all  their  sins  ;  strengthen  them,  we  beseech  thee,  O  Lord,  with  theHoly 
Ghost,  the  Comforter;  and  daily  increase  in  them  thy  manifold  gifts  of 
grace ;  the  spirit  of  wi.-doni  and  understanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and 
ghostly  strength,  the  spirit  of  knowledge  and  true  godliness  ;  and  fill  them,  O 
Lord,  with  the  spirit  of  thy  holy  fear,  now  and  forever.  .Imen. 
Then  nil  ofihcmin  order  kneeling  b«forethe  Bishop,  he  cUaH  lay  li;s  hands    upon  tlie  head  af 

every  one  «verally,  sajri  ij, 


168       THE     COMPKEIIENSIVE      CHURCH. 

course  then,  he  must  come  at  the  earliest  opportunity 
to  the  preliminary  rite. 

That  Confirmation  is  this  preliminary  rite  has  been 
shown  in  the  Rubric  last  quoted,  from  the  close  of  the 
office  of  adult  baptism,  p.  165.  It  is  also  asserted  in  the 
Rubric  at  the  close  of  the  order  of  Confirmation,  which 
may  be  seen  in  the  last  note,  (at  the  foot  of  this  page.) 

Defend,  O  Lord,  this  thy  child  [or,  this  thy  servant]  witli  Ihy  heavenly 
grace;  that  Ae may  continue  thine  forever,  and  daily  increase  in  thy  Holy 
Spirit  more  and  more,  until  he  come  unto  thy  everlasting  kingdom.    Jimen. 

Tliea  shall  the  Bishop  sny 

The  Lord  be  with  you. 

Ans.  And  with  thy  spirit. 
And  all  kneeliag  down,  the  Bishop  shall  adJ, 

Let  us  pray. 

Our  Father,  who  art  in  Heaven,  Hallowed  be  thy  Name;  Thy  Kingdom 
come ;  Thy  Will  be  done  on  Earth,  as  it  is  in  Heaven  ;  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread  ;  and  forgive  us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass 
against  us;  and  lead  us  not  into  temptation  ;  but  deliver  us  from  evil.  Amen. 
And  these  CoUecls. 

Almighty  and  everlasting  God,  whomakest  us  both  to  will  and  to  do  those 
things  which  are  good,  and  acceptable  unto  tliy  Divine  Majesty  ;  we  make 
our  humble  supplications  unto  thee  for  these  tliy  servants,  upon  whom,  after 
the  example  of  thy  holy  Apostles,  we  have  now  laid  our  hands ;  to  certify 
them,  by  this  sign,  of  thy  favour  and  gracious  goodness  towards  them.  Let 
thy  Fatherly  hand,  we  beseech  thee,  ever  be  over  them  :  Let  thy  Holy  Spirit 
ever  be  with  them  :  and  so  lead  them  in  the  knowledge  and  obedience  of 
thy  Word,  tliat  in  the  end  they  may  obtain  everlasting  life,  through  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ ;  wlio,  with  thee  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  liveth  and  reigneth  ever 
one  God,  world  without  end.     Amen. 

O  Almighty  Lord,  and  everlasting  God,  vouchsafe,  we  beseech  thee,  to 
direct,  sanctify,  and  govern  both  our  hearts  and  bodies,  in  the  ways  of  thy 
laws,  and  in  the  works  of  tliy  commandments ;  that  through  thy  most  mighty 
protect'on,  both  here  and  ever,  we  may  be  preserved  in  body  and  soul, 
throiiffti  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.    Amen. 

Sishop  shall  bless  tliein,  saying  thus; 

lessing  of  God  .\Imighty,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost, 
^ou,  and  remain  with  you  forever.    Amen. 

tail  none  be  admitted  to  the  Holy  Communion,  until  such  lime  as  he  be  confirmed, 
y  and  desirouB  to  be  confirmed. ' ' 


THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.       169 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  holds,  that  af- 
ter Baptism  no  new  obligations  may  be  required  for 
admission  to  the  Lord's  Supper.  In  Baptism  the  per- 
son confesses,  to  its  full  extent,  the  discipleship  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  this  is  all  that  is  needed  to 
entitle  him  to  a  seat  among  his  fellow  disciples  at  the 
Table  of  their  Lord.  It  holds,  that  it  is  both  incon- 
sistent in  itself  and  unscriptural  to  require  of  a  per- 
son once,  by  its  own  act,  already  admitted  to  the  name 
and  privileges  of  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church, 
any  new  or  different  obligations,  before  he  may  be  al- 
lowed to  obey  his  Lord's  command  :  "  Do  this  in  re- 
membrance of  me."  Accordingly,  in  Confirmation 
there  is  no  new  obligation  assumed.  It  is  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  a  solemn  re-assumption  of  the 
one  baptismal  obligation.  And  the  Church  very  prop- 
erly holds,  that  if  any  of  its  members  should  be  un- 
willing to  conform  to  its  rules  of  order,  so  far  as  to 
be  unwilling  to  confess  Christ  publicly  a  second  time, 
and  to  be  made  a  special  subject  of  the  prayers  of  the 
Church  and  of  its  chief  earthly  Pastor  for  the  strength- 
ening grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  would,  by  such  un- 
willingness, be  proved  unfit  for  the  sacred  Feast  of 
Christ's  humble  and  prayerful  disciples. 

In  almost  all  religious  denominations  there  is  some 
Rite,  called  the  "  owning  of  the  Christian  covenant," 
or  by  some  other  name,  which  interposes  between 
Baptism  and  the  Supper  of  the  Lord.  Confirmation 
is  such  a  Rite.  But  if,  in  any  case,  a  Church  should 
require  in  such  a  Rite  any  obligations  different  from 

IS 


170   THE   COMPREHENSIVE   CHURCH, 

those  required  in  Baptism,  it  would  by  the  requisition 
be  elevating  the  institutions  of  man  above  the  laws 
of  Christ- 
There  is  a  peculiar  reference  in  Confirmation  to 
Infant  Baptism,  to  which  we  shall  presently  ask  par- 
ticular attention.  First,  however,  we  will  state  brief- 
ly some  of  the  other  grounds  on  which  the  Rite  is 
defended. 

It  is  contended,  that  Confirmation  was  instituted  by 
the  Apostles,  and  administered  by  them  always,  as  in 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  as  soon  as  possible 
after  Baptism  ; — that  the  earliest  Christian  Fathers 
testify  to  its  continuance  and  enjoin  it  in  strong 
terms  ; — that  the  Church  universal  has  always  prac- 
tised it;* — that  it  is  a  most  effective  bond  of  unity,  by 
which  every  member  of  the  Church  becomes  introdu- 
ced personally  to  his  chief  Pastor  under  Christ,  and 
voluntarily  acknowledges  his  canonical  authority  and 
superintendence; — that  the  particular  benediction  of 
a  venerable  man  of  God  and  a  chief  officer  in  the 
Church,  received  in  this  Rite,  is  desirable  ; — that  to 
be  made  a  special  subject  of  prayer  by  the  whole 
Church  met  together  in  the  name  of  Christ  is  profita- 
ble ;  that  to  repeat  the  baptismal  vow  of  self-consecra- 
tion to  the  Lord's  service  is  in  itself  confirmatory  of 
the  disciple's  faith  and  purposes ; — that,  if  these  con- 

*  From  the  Apostolical  age  to  the  Protestant  Reformation  there  is  no 
question  of  this  assertion  Since  that  era  all  Protestant  Episcopal  Churches 
have  retained  it,  and  all  the  Lutheran  Churches  (even  those  not  Episcopal) 
have  retained  it.  And  the  learned  and  leading  men  in  all  those  Protestant 
Churches  which  have  not  retained  it  from  Calvin  and  Beza  down  to  the 
heads  of  the  dissenters  of  the  present  day  in  our  own  country,  have  strongly 
favored  the  re-establishment  of  tlie  Eite. 


THK     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.       171 

siderations  were  absent,  and  tlie  Rite  were  simply  an 
ordinance  of  the  Church  for  the  sake  of  promoting 
decency  and  order  in  its  services,  there  would  be 
nothing  objectionable  in  it,  but  much  to  recommend 
it. 

The  force  of  all  these  considerations  applies  in  the 
case  even  of  persons  who  have  been  baptized  in  adult 
or  riper  years. 

We  will  not  dwell  upon  this  view  of  our  subject, 
since  the  doing  so  would  be  foreign  from  our  object. 

We  now  ask  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  our  main 
design  in  this  Section — a  statement  of  the  relation  of 
Confirmation  to  Infant  Baptism. 

Our  argument  is  brief  and  distinct.  There  is  but 
"  one  Baptism."  The  same  ideas  must  be  always 
implied  in  it,  upon  whomsoever  administered.  There 
are  two  great  ideas,  as  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  interprets  the  Scriptures,  always  implied  in  it, 
— the  one  a  voluntary  confession  of  the  person  baptized 
by  Christ  and  His  Church,  the  other  a  voluntary  confes- 
sion of  Christ  and  His  Church,  (after  repentance  and 
faith,  i.  e.  conversion)  by  the  person  baptized.  Now, 
in  Infant  Baptism  the  former  may  exist,  but  the  latter 
can  not  exist.  The  voluntary  confession  of  Christ 
and  His  Church,  after  repentance  and  faith,  can  not 
be  made  by  the  infant  directly;  and  therefore  the 
Church  has  appointed  sponsors  or  sureties  (legal 
agents,  like  the  guardians  of  minors)  to  make  it  "  in 
the  name  of  the  child."  There  must,  it  is  therefore 
contended,  in  order  to  secure  to  an  adult  the  perfect- 
ness  or  completeness  of  his  Infant  Baptism,  be  some 


172   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH, 

one  public  act,  as  distinctive  as  Baptism  itself,  ap- 
pointed hi/  the  Church  which  practices  Infant  Baptism, 
for  the  definite  and  special  object  of  allowing  every 
person  baptized  in  infancy  to  come  before  the  Church 
and  the  world,  when  arrived  at  years  of  discretion, 
and  having  exercised  repentance  and  faith,  and  there 
solemnly  to  assume  his  baptismal  obligations  to  him- 
self, and  by  approving  and  acknowledging  his  Infant 
Baptism,  to  thus  transfer  it,  to  all  intents  and  purpo- 
ses, to  his  maturity,  as  his  own  voluntary  adult  act. 

This  view  is  not  only  suggested  by  common  sense; 
it  is  sustained  by  manifest  and  abundant  legal  analo- 
gies. The  adult  thus  acknowledges  the  infant  (i.  e. 
himself  in  his  infancy)  as  his  proxy  ;  he  clothes  the 
sponsors  of  his  childhood  with  his  power  of  attorney, 
he  approves  them  as  his  agents,  and  binds  himself  to 
their  acts.  And  what  occasion  can  be  more  appro- 
priate to  this  one  public  and  solemn  act,  than  that 
which  combines  with  this  act  so  many  other  delight- 
ful and  impressive  associations — viz.  the  Rite  of  Con- 
firmation ? 

In  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  the  ormer  idea 
in  Baptism  (the  voluntary  confession  of  the  person 
baptized  by  Christ  and  His  Church)  is  accomplished 
upon  the  infant  ;  and  the  latter  idea  (the  voluntary 
confession,  by  the  person  baptized,  of  Christ  and  His 
Church  after  repentance  and  fa\ih),ivhich  is  separated 
from  the  former  in  respect  of  time  only  so  far  as  the 
nature  oj  the  case  requires,  is  provided  for  in  the  Rite 
of  Confirmation,  which  is  thus  shewn  to  be  intimate- 
ly connected  with  Infant  Baptism,  and  is,   as  it  were, 


THE      C  O  M  I'  R  E  n  K  N  S  I  V  E     C  IT  U  R  C  H  .       173 

a  part  of  it,  and  its  proper  and  necessary  sequel  or 
complement. 

This  peculiar  relation  of  the  Rite  of  Confirmation 
in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  to  Infant  Baptism, 
will  be  readily  perceived  by  anyone  who  will  compare 
together  the  Church  Catechism  and  the  offices  of 
Baptism  and  Confirmation.* 

The  view  here  presented  is,  that,  although  Confir- 
mation is,  in  many  respects,  an  independent  Rite, 
there  is  connected  with  its  administration,  in  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church,  an  assumption  of  the  pre- 
vious baptismal  obligation  and  act,  in  such  a  way, 
that  the  rite  is,  so   far  at  least  as  regards  Infant  Bap- 

»  It  may  be  objected  to  the  view  here  presented,  thnt  the  Protestant  Epis' 
copal  Church  allows  private  Baptism  of  infants  without  sponsors.  But 
the  very  fact  alluded  to  confirms  our  views.  The  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  (we  speak  not  of  the  customs  of  any  of  its  ministers  or  members  who 
neglect  or  violate  its  regulations)  allows  private  Baptism  without  the  confes- 
sion of  the  Baptismal  obligation,  only  in  one  case,  that  of  infants  or  children, 
and  when  the  life  of  the  child  is  in  such  imminent  hazard,  that  public  Bap- 
tism cannot  be  performed.  The  confession  of  Clnistby  the  sponsors  for 
the  child  is  in  this  case  omitted,  because  there  is  no  reasonable  probability 
nor  hope  that  the  child  will  ever  live  to  assume  it  for  himself.  All  is  done, 
which  in  the  nature  of  the  case  is  jwssible — the  parent  consecrates  his 
child  to  the  Lard,  and  the  minister  of  Chnst  and  the  Church  confesses  the 
child  in  their  behalf.  Yet  the  Church  provides,  that  "  if  the  child  which  i3 
after  this  sort  baptized  do  afterwards  live,  it  is  expedient  that  it  be  brought 
into  the  Church,  to  the  intent  that  the  congregation  may  be  certified  of  the 
time  and  form  of  Baptism  privately  before  used  ;"  at  the  same  time,  wlieu 
this  certificate  is  read,  the  sponsors  must  publicly  present  the  child,  and,  in 
its  name,  make  the  confession  (which  was  before  omitted  for  the  reasons 
given)  required  in  public  Baptism,  since  now  there  is  an  e.\pectation  that 
the  child  may  live  to  assume  it.  In  other  words,  so  soon  as  the  child  recov- 
ers from  its  dangerous  sickness,  the  whole  service  of  Public  Baptism  must 
be  performed  with  it,  excepting  the  act  of  immersion  or  affusion  by  water 
which  was  before  done,  and  which  is  now  certified.  Thus,  in  all  its  offi- 
ces, the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  never  neglects  to  provide  for  what  is 
considered  necessary  to  the  completeness  of  Baptism — tlie  public  confession 
of  Christ  by  the  person  baptized. 
]5* 


174     THE      COMPKEHENSIVF.      CHURCH- 

tism,  the  regular  sequel  or  complement  of  it.  We  are 
looking  at  the  Rite,  just  as  it  is  in  fact,  as  it  exists 
in  the  ritual  of  the  Church.  We  ask  the  reader  to 
examine  the  order  of  Confirmation  as  printed  just 
now  in  a  note  ;  and  he  will  perceive  that  the  view  here 
presented — this  peculiar  relation  of  confirmation  to 
infant  baptism — is  altogether  the  most  prominent  in 
its  administration. 

It  appears  to  us,  that  in  the  view  presented,  we  see 
one  of  the  comprehensive  arrangements  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church — its  capability  to  unite  the 
opposing  denominations  of  Christians.  We  think, 
then,  that  we  shall  have  the  attention  and  the  appro- 
val of  our  intelligent  and  candid  readers,  while  we 
endeavor  to  shew  very  succinctly  the  bearing  of  our 
statements  upon  that  subject. 

The  dissenters  in  our  country  are  all  in  two  class- 
es— Pedo-Baptists  and  Baptists ;  and  none  of  them 
practise  the  rite  of  Confirmation. 

1.  Pedo-Baptists.  We  see  not  how  any  Church  of 
Pedo-Baptist  dissenters  can  allow  the  administration 
of  Infant  Baptism,  while  at  the  same  time,  they  neg- 
lect to  provide  some  one  iniblic  Rite,  which  shall  be 
equivalent  for  the  purpose  above  stated  (the  public 
confession  of  Christ)  to  Confirmation.  It  will  not  do 
to  say,  that  in  the  Lord's  Supper  is  this  equivalent ; 
because  the  Lord's  Supper  is  divinely  appointed  (and 
man  may  not  add  to  the  appointment  nor  take  away 
from  it)  to  be  the  mode,  not  of  confessing  Christ  be- 
fore the  world,  hut  of  commemorating  Christ  in  a  so- 
cial communion  with  Himself  and  His  disciples.  It 
will  not  do  to  suppose  an  equivalent  in  any  rite  or  cus- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  175 

torn,  except  one,  which  shall  be  specially  designed  for 
the  purpose,  and  which  shall  he  directly  connected  with 
the  Baptism  of  the  infant,  as  a  sequel  or  complement ; 
because  Baptism  is  the  one  and  only  divinely  appointed 
mode  in  connexion  with  which  Christ  shall  be  confessed. 

The  Pedo-Baptist  dissenter,  as  appears  to  us,  for- 
gets that,  in  rejecting  Confirmation,  and  supplying  no 
equivalent  for  this  particular  use  of  the  Rite,  he  de- 
tracts from  the  perfectness  of  Infant  Baptism — he 
provides  the  one  part  of  Baptism — the  confession  of 
the  individual  by  Christ  and  His  Church, — but  he 
neglects  to  provide  for  the  other  part — the  confes- 
sion of  Christ  and  His  Church  by  the  individual, 
^o  long  as  this  is  the  case,  he  lays  himself  open  to 
the  criticisms  of  his  Baptist  opponents.  Here  is 
a  weak  point  in  his  system,  which  he  finds  it  difiicult 
to  cover.  In  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  the 
difficulty  is  exactly  met  by  the  peculiar  relation  of 
Confirmation  to  Infant  Baptism. 

2.  Baptists.  If  it  is  said,  that  none  but  adults  may 
be  baptized,  we  reply,  that  Confirmation  in  the  view 
here  presented  is,  de  facto,  adult  Baptism.  The  adult, 
after  repentance  and  faith,  comes  forward,  and  under 
the  most  solemn  and  public  circumstances,  declares: 
"  I  do  here,  in  the  presence  of  God  and  of  this  Con- 
gregation, renew  the  solemn  promise  and  vow  that 
was  made  in  my  name  at  my  Baptism  ;  ratifying  and 
confirming  the  same ;  and  acJcnowlcdging  myself  bound 
to  believe  and  do  all  those  things  which  my  sponsors 
then  undertook  for  me."  Be  it  remembered,  that 
there  has  been  the  tvashing  of  the  water  upon  the  body 
of  the  person  with  the  regular  Baptismal  Form.  Now, 
to   analyze  the  above  declaration,  the  adult  declares 


176   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

to  this  effect:  "I  acknowledge  that  washing  of  water 
which  was  once  performed  upon  my  body  with  the 
regular  Baptismal  Form  to  be  now  my  Baptism  ;  I 
assume  it  now  as  my  own  by  this  solemn  and  public 
act ;  and  I  ratify,  and  also  assume  to  myself,  by  this 
act,  all  the  Baptismal  obligations  which  those  persons, 
whom  I  hereby  acknowledge  as  my  sponsors,  then  un- 
dertook for  me."  The  analogies  are  numerous.  As 
a  man  recognizes  the  contracts  of  his  agents  or  of  his 
minor  children,  as  a  man,  by  his  note  of  hand,  as- 
sumes the  obligation  of  a  book-debt  which  has  been 
outlawed,  (to  mention  a  few  out  of  many  examples) 
so  does  the  same  principle,  apply  in  the  act  of  Confir- 
mation. It  matters  not,  indeed,  at  what  previous  time 
the  Baptism  by  water  may  have  been  effected,  so  long 
as  the  individual,  after  repentance  and  faith,  in  a  for- 
mal and  solemn  act,  specially  appropriated  to  the  pur- 
pose by  the  authority  of  the  Church,  does  expressly 
assume  to  himself  that  Baptism  and  its  obligations.  In 
this  act  of  assumption,  whensoever  it  occur,  he  trans- 
fers the  Baptism  of  his  infancy  to  the  moment  in 
which  he  assumes  it,  he  makes  it  his  own  present 
adult  act.  Thus  Coiifirmation  is,  dc  facto,  adult  Bap- 
tism. 

If  it  be  said,  that  immersion  is  the  only  valid  form 
of  Baptism,  we  reply,  that  the  parent  may  have  his 
children  baptized  by  immersion  (for  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  allows  either  affusion  or  immersion, 
and  he  may  have  his  choice  and  insist  upon  it) ;  and 
it  seems  to  us  that  a  person,  who  was  baptized  by 
immersion,  with  sponsors,  in  his  infancy,  and  who  af- 
terwards has  been  confirmed  in  the  order  of  the  Prot- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       177 

estant  Episcopal  Church,  (and  thus  has  transferred 
his  Infant  Baptism  by  immersion  to  the  moment  of 
his  adult  years  wherein  he  was  confirmed)  must  be 
acknowledged,  upon  even  the  strictest  principles  of 
our  Baptist  brethren,  as  having  had,  de  facto,  all  that 
they  esteem  essential  to  Christian  Baptism.* 

The  view  of  Confirmation  presented  must  commend 
itself,  we  presume,  to  our  Baptist  brethren  ;  for  it  is 
in  perfect  harmony  with  all  the  fundamental  princi- 
ples of  their  ecclesiastical  system — those  of  Congre- 
gationalism. They  acknowledge  and  contend  for  no 
other  than  the  de  facto  validity  of  their  own  ministry 
and  sacraments,  i.  e.  their   validity,  because  they  ex- 

*The  assertion,  which  we  sometimes  hear,  that  even  adult  Baptiam,  and 
that  by  immersion,  must,  in  order  to  be  valid,  have  been  administered  by  a 
minister,  who  has  himself  been  baptized  as  an  adult  and  by  immersion,  we 
suppose,  is  not  made  by  intelligent  Baptists  ;  since  at  the  period  of  the  Kef- 
ormation  there  had  been  no  such  thing  practised,  for  several  preceding  cen- 
turies, in  Europe,  as  either  adult  Baptism  or  Baptism  by  immersion,  the 
practice  of  the  Koman  Catholic  Church  (with  a  partial  exception  in  Eng- 
land, in  the  matter  of  immersion, J  having  been  the  Baptism  of  infants  and 
that  by  sprinkling.  Accordingly,  the  validity  of  the  first  adult  Baptisms  by 
immersion,  in  tlie  chain  whicli  began  at  that  time  (granting  for  the  occa- 
sion, although  unnecessarily,  that  there  has  been  an  unbroken  chain  In  the 
succession  of  such  Baptisms),  must  depend  simply  upon  the  fact  that  such 
adults  were  actually  immersed,  or  immersed  themselves,  and  not  upon  the 
principle  contained  in  the  assertion  which  we  are  noticing.  This  assertion 
would  annihilate  the  validity  of  all  the  present  adult  Baptisms  by  immer- 
sion in  our  country  and  in  the  world  ;  and  therefore  wesuppose,  that  no  in- 
telligent Baptist  would  venture  or  approve  it.  The  validity  of  such  Bap- 
tisms must  rest  upon  grounds  entirely  independent  of  the  fact,  whether  the 
minister,  who  performs  them,  has  ever  been  so  baptized  or  not.  The  va- 
lidity of  such  Baptisms  depends  simply  upon  the  fact  of  their  having  been 
actually perforvied  (whether  by  the  individuals  themselves  or  by  others,  mat- 
ters not)  without  any  reference  whatsoever  to  the  qualifications  of  the  min- 
ister. The  fact,  therefore,  that  many  of  the  ministers  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  were  never  baptized  by  immersion,  would  not  prevent 
any  intelligent  Baptist  from  uniting  himself  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church;  since  that  fact  could  not  affect  nor  weaken  the  validity  of  any 
immersions  which  such  ministers  might  be  called  upon  to  administer. 


178     THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

ist  and  are  acknowledged  by  the  Church,  in  other 
words,  because  they  do  actually  have,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  a  ministry  and  sacraments — a  validity 
independent  of  any  particular  mode  or  causes  through 
which  these  exist.  Upon  the  same  principles,  they 
must  admit  the  de  facto  validity  of  the  Baptism  (al- 
though performed  in  infancy)  of  all  adults,  who,  in 
compliance  with  a  special  and  formal  requisition  of 
the  Church,  have  voluntarily,  after  repentance  and 
faith,  assumed  their  infant  Baptism  as  their  own  adult 
act.  Confirmation  is  actually  equivalent  to  adult 
Baptism  ;  it  is,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  adult  Bap- 
tism ;  and  such  adult  Baptism,  in  the  very  fact  that  it 
exists,  actually  is,  upon  the  ecclesiastical  principles  of 
Baptists,  valid,  just  as  their  own  ministry  and  sacra- 
ments (even  their  own  Baptism)  are  valid.  There  is 
no  escape  from  this  argument.  We  may  say,  without 
boasting,  that  it  is  perfectly  clear  and  perfectly  con- 
clusive. The  reasoning,  which  would  disprove  our 
assertion — that  Confirmation  as  practised  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  is  de  facto  Adult  Bap- 
tism— would  inevitably  disprove  also  the  validity  of  all 
the  ministry  and  sacraments,  and  ecclesiastical  regula- 
tions of  all  the  Baptist  Churches. 

We  can  conceive  of  only  one  reason,  which,  so 
far  as  the  whole  subject  of  Baptism  is  concerned,  can 
operate  upon  the  mind  of  any  Baptist  Dissenter  to 
prevent  him  from  uniting  with  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church.  It  is  this :  he  would  be  obliged  to 
communicate  in  the  Lord's  Supper,  doubtless,  with 
many  who  have  never  been  immersed  ;  and  if  he 
should   conscientiously   account  it  sin  to  do  so,  he 


THE     COMPREHKNSIVE     CHURCH.       179 

could  not  conscientiously  communicate  at  the  Lord's 
Table  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  where 
many,  who  have  never  been  immersed,  would  doubt- 
less be  present.  But,  if  any  Baptist  is  satisfied  to  re- 
ceive for  himself  and  children  and  all  who  think  with 
him,  such  ordinances  as  himself  approves  ;  and  if  he 
does  not  deem  it  a  necessary  part  of  his  duty  to  de- 
cide upon  the  conclusions  of  other  Christians;  and  if 
he  is  conscientiously  willing  to  sit  down  with  all  oth- 
er Christians  at  the  Lord's  Table,  leaving  it  to  each 
to  determine  his  own  duty  in  the  fear  of  God,  (he 
having,  all  along,  for  himself  and  for  all  who  think 
with  him,  whatsoever  he  holds  essential  in  the  Church 
and  its  sacraments,  and  losing  no  personal  or  spiritual 
privilege  by  such  union),  then  I  see  no  reason  why 
such  a  Baptist  may  not  (so  far  as  any  differences  on 
the  subject  of  Baptism  are  concerned)  unite  himself 
at  once  and  heartily  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  Lideed,  he  might,  without  any  sacrifice  of 
his  Baptist  principles,  bring  forward  his  children  to 
infant  Baptism,  (by  immersion),  therein  placing  them 
under  the  covenant  care  of  sponsors  and  of  the 
Church,  and  receiving  for  himself  and  children  that 
peculiar  blessing  which  any  such  voluntary  and  pub- 
lic and  faithful  consecration  of  his  children  to  God 
would  obtain.*  At  the  same  time,  his  children,  after 
repentance   and   faith  in  their    riper   years,  might  as- 

*  In  some  Baptist  Societies,  it  has  been  customary  for  tlie  ministers  rni 
the  people  to  bring  their  children  before  the  congregation  and  publicly  to 
dedicate  them  to  God.  The  suggestion  here  made  accords  with  the  custom 
referred  to,  and  would  meet  every  where  the  natural  wishes  of  the  parent's 
heart. 


180      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

sume,  and  would  be  required  to  assume,  their  infant 
Baptism  as  their  own  adult  act,  (thus  making  it  de 
facto  their  adult  Baptism,)  in  Confirmation,  prior  to 
their  admission  to  the  Holy  Communion. 

In  looking  into  the  institutions  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  on  the  subject  of  Baptism,  we  find 
that  infant  Baptism  is  allowed,  so  that  the  Pedo-Bap- 
tist  Dissenter  may  on  this  head  be  satisfied  ;  while 
the  Rite  of  Confirmation  is  so  connected  with  it,  that 
the  Baptist  Dissenter  may  have  nothing  to  object  to, 
on  the  score  of  his  peculiarity.  We  ask  :  Is  there 
not  comprehensiveness  in  that  system,  which  unites, 
so  easily  and  harmoniously,  opinions  and  practices, 
which,  when  considered  separately,  appear  irreconci- 
lable ?  Is  not  that  a  comprehensive  system,  which  may 
unite  both  Pedo-Baptists  and  Baptists  into  one  Church, 
allowing  each  to  retain  his  peculiarity  both  of  opin- 
ion and  of  practice ;  while  their  diversities  shall  not 
only  not  conflict,  but  combine  most  naturally  and  ef- 
fectively to  sustain  each  other,  as  well  as  the  one  sys- 
tem, which  includes  and  upholds  them  both? 

SECTION     XVI. 

THE   SUPPER    OF    THE    LORD. 

The  meaning  oi  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church--a 
Commemoration  of  the  love  of  Christ — proved  from  standards — Qualifi' 
cations  for  the  Lord's  Supper— wliatsoever  may  be  included  in  a  worthy 
discipleship  of  Christ— proved  from  standards— the  views  of  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Churcli  commend  themselves  to  all  Christian  people  of  ev- 
ery denomination. 

Our  object  in  this  Section  is  concisely  to  explain 
what  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  considers  the 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         181 

meaning  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  the  qualifications 
for  it. 

1.  The  meaning  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  This  holy 
ordinance  or  sacrament  is  regarded  by  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  as  by  all  other  Protestant  Church- 
es, as  the  public  and  solemn  commemoration  or  me- 
morial, by  His  disciples,  of  the  love  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  in  His  sufferings  and  death  for  sinners. 

A  few  extracts  from  the  Order  for  its  Administra- 
tion will  explain  its  meaning. 

The  warning  or  invitation  given  on  the  Sunday  or 
Holy-Day  previous  to  its  administration,  commences 
thus : 

"  Dearly   beloved,  on day    next,   I   purpose, 

through  God's  assistance,  to  administer  to  all  such  as 
shall  be  religiously  and  devoutly  disposed,  the  most 
comfortable  Sacrament  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of 
Christ;  to  be  by  them  received,  in  remembrance  of 
his  meritorious  Cross  and  Passion ;  whereby  alone 
we  obtain  remission  of  our  sins,  and  are  made  parta- 
kers of  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

In  the  Exhortation,  given  at  the  time  of  its  cele- 
bration, the  following  passage  occurs  : 

"  And  to  the  end  that  we  should  always  remember 
the  exceeding  great  love  of  our  Masrer  and  only  Sav- 
iour Jesus  Christ,  thus  dying  for  us,  and  the  innumer- 
able benefits  which  by  his  precious  blood-shedding 
he  hath  obtained  for  us,  he  hath  instituted  and  ordain- 
ed holy  Mysteries,  as  pledges  of  his  love,  and  for  a 
continual  remembrance  of  his  death,  to  our  great  and 
endless  comfort." 

16 


182        THK     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

The  prayer  of  Consecration  is  as  follows  : 
"All  glory  be  to  thee,  Almighty  God,  our  heavenly 
Father,  for  that  thou,  of  thy  tender  mercy,  didst  give 
thine  only  Son  Jesus  Christ  to  suffer  death  upon  the 
cross  for  our  redemption;  who  made  there  (by  his 
one  oblation  of  himself  once  offered)  a  full,  perfect, 
and  sufficient  sacrifice,  oblation,  and  satisfaction,  for 
the  sins  of  the  whole  world  ;  and  did  institute,  and 
in  his  holy  gospel  command  us  to  continue  a  perpetu- 
al memory  of  that  his  precious  death  and  sacrifice 
until  his  coming  again  :  For  in  the  night  in  which  he 
was  betrayed*  he  took  bread  ;  and  when  he  had  given 
thanks, t  he  brake  it,  and  gave  it  to  his  disciples,  say- 
ing. Take,  eat,i:  this  is  my  Body,  which  is  given  for 
you ;  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  me.  Likewise,  af- 
ter Supper§  he  took  the  cup ;  and  when  he  had  given 
thanks,  he  gave  it  to  them,  saying.  Drink  ye  all  of 
this,  for||  this  is  my  Blood,  of  the  New  Testament, 
which  is  shed  for  you,  and  for  many,  for  the  remission 
of  sins  ;  Do  this,  as  oft  as  ye  shall  drink  it,  in  remem- 
brance of  me. 

Wherefore,  O  Lord  and  heavenly   Fa- 

The  Oblation.  ....  „     , 

ther,  according  to  the  mstitution  of  thy 
dearly  beloved  Son  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  we,  thy 
humble  servants,  do  celebrate  and  make  here  before 
thy  divine   Majesty,  with   these  thy  holy  gifts,  which 

*  Here  the  Priest  is  to  take  the  Paten  into  his  hands, 
t  And  here  to  break  the  Bread. 
t  And  here  to  lay  his  hand  upon  all  the  Bread. 
^  Here  he  is  to  take  the  Cup  into  his  hand. 

II  And  here  he  is  to  lay  his  hand  upon  every  Vessel,  in  which  there  is  any 
Wine  to  be  consecrated. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       183 

we  now  offer  unto  thee,  the  memorial  thy  Son  hath 
commanded  us  to  make ;  having  in  remembrance  his 
blessed  passion  and  precious  death,  his  mighty  resur- 
rection and  glorious  ascension  ;  rendering  unto  thee 
most  hearty  thanks,  for  the  innumerable  benefits  pro- 
„^  ,  cured   unto    us  by  the  same.     And  we 

The  Invocation.  •' 

most  humbly  beseech  thee,  O  merciful 
Father,  to  hear  us  ;  and  of  thy  Almighty  goodness, 
vouchsafe  to  bless  and  sanctify,  with  thy  Word  and 
Holy  Spirit,  these  thy  gifts  and  creatures  of  bread 
and  wine  ;  that  we,  receiving  them  according  to  thy 
Son  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ's  holy  institution,  in  re- 
membrance of  his  Death  and  Passion,  may  be  parta- 
kers of  his  most  blessed  Body  and  Blood.  And  we 
earnestly  desire  thy  fatherly  goodness,  mercifully  to 
accept  this  our  sacrifice  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  ; 
most  humbly  beseeching  thee  to  grant,  that  by  the 
merits  and  death  of  thy  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  through 
faith  in  his  blood,  we,  and  all  thy  whole  Church,  may 
obtain  remission  of  our  sins,  and  all  other  benefits  of 
his  passion.  And  here  we  offer  and  present  unto  thee, 
O  Lord,  ourselves,  our  souls,  and  bodies,  to  be  a  rea- 
sonable, holy,  and  living  sacrifice  unto  thee  ;  humbly 
beseeching  thee,  that  we,  and  all  others  who  shall  be 
partakers  of  this  holy  Communion,  may  worthily  re- 
ceive the  most  precious  Body  and  Blood  of  thy  Son 
Jesus  Christ,  be  filled  with  thy  grace  and  heavenly 
benediction,  and  made  one  body  with  him,  that  he 
may  dwell  in  them,  and  they  in  him.  And  although 
we  are  unworthy,  through  our  manifold  sins,  to  offer 
unto  thee  any  sacrifice  ;  yet  we  beseech  thee  to  accept 
this  our  bounden  duty  and  service,  not  weighing  our 


184         THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

merits,  but  pardoning  our  offences  ;  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord ;  by  whom,  and  with  whom,  in  the 
unity  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  all  honor  and  glory  be  unto 
thee,  O  Father  Almighty,  world  without  end.     Amen." 

In  delivering  the  elements  the  minister  first  pro- 
nounces a  benediction,  or  asks  a  blessing  upon  each 
communicant,  and  then  calls  upon  him  to  remember 
Christ,  and  have  faith  in  Him,  and  be  thankful  : 

"  When  he  delivereth  the  Bread,  he  sliall  say, 

The  body  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  was 
given  for  thee,  preserve  thy  body  and  soul  unto  ever- 
lasting life  :  Take  and  eat  this  in  remembrance  that 
Christ  died  for  thee,  and  feed  on  him  in  thy  heart  by 
faith,  with  thanksgiving. 

And  the  Minister  who  delivereth  the  Cup,  shall  say. 

The  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  was 
shed  for  thee,  preserve  thy  body  and  soul  unto  ever- 
lasting life  :  Drink  this  in  remembrance  that  Christ's 
blood  was  shed  for  thee,  and  be  thankful." 

The  same  meaning  is  assigned  in  the  Church  Cate- 
chism : 

"  Quest.  Why  was  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  ordained  ? 

Ans.  For  the  continual  remembrance  of  the  sac- 
rifice of  the  death  of  Christ,  and  of  the  benefits  which 
we  receive  thereby. 

Quest.  What  is  the  outward  part  or  sign  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  ? 

Ans.  Bread  and  Wine,  which  the  Lord  hath  com- 
manded to  be  received. 

Quest.     What  is  the  inward  part  or  thing  signified  ? 

Ans.     The  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ,   M'hich  are 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       185 

spiritually  taken   and  received  by  the  faithful  in  the 
Lord's  Supper. 

Quest.  What  are  the  benefits  whereof  we  are 
partakers  thereby  ? 

Ans.  The  strengthening  and  refreshing  of  our 
souls  by  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ,  as  our  bodies 
are  by  the  bread  and  wine.^' 

2.  Qualifications  for  the  Lord's  Supper.  These 
are,  as  in  all  other  Protestant  Churches,  whatsoever 
is  implied  in  a  true  discipleship  of  Christ, — self  ex- 
amination, repentance,  faith,  a  deep  sense  of  sinful- 
ness and  unworthiness,  humble  thankfulness,  charity, 
holiness.  These  qualifications  are  insisted  on  through- 
out the  whole  order  for  its  administration,  particular- 
ly in  the  preliminary  warnings  and  exhortations. 
One  or  two  extracts  from  this  service  at  the  time  of 
the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Ordinance  will  suffice  for 
proof.  In  the  early  portion  of  the  service  and  follow- 
ing up  the  warnings  which  notify  the  administration, 
we  find  the  following  : 

"At  the  time  of  the  Celebration  of  the  Communion,  the  Priest 
shall  say  this  Exhortation. 

Dearly  beloved  in  the  Lord,  ye  who  mind  to  come 
to  the  Holy  Communion  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of 
our  Saviour  Christ,  must  consider  how  St.  Paul  ex- 
horteth  all  persons  diligently  to  try  and  examine  them- 
selves, before  they  presume  to  eat  of  that  Bread,  and 
drink  of  that  Cup.  For  as  the  benefit  is  great,  if  with 
a  true  penitent  heart  and  lively  fiiith  we  receive  that 
holy  Sacrament ;  so  is  the  danger  great,  if  we  receive 
the  same  unworthily.  Judge  therefore  yourselves, 
brethren,  that  ye  be  not  judged  of  the  Lord ;  repent 

16k 


186  THE  COMPREHENSIVE   CHURCH. 

ye  truly  for  your  sins  past ;  have  a  lively  and  stedfast 
faith  in  Christ  our  Saviour  ;  amend  your  lives,  and  be 
in  perfect  charity  with  all  men  :  so  shall  ye  be  meet 
partakers  of  those  holy  Mysteries.  And  above  all 
things,  ye  must  give  most  humble  and  hearty  thanks 
to  God  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  for 
the  redemption  of  the  world  by  the  death  and  passion 
of  our  Saviour  Christ,  both  God  and  man ;  who  did 
humble  himself,  even  to  the  death  upon  the  cross,  for 
us  miserable  sinners,  who  lay  in  darkness  and  the 
shadow  of  death ;  that  he  might  make  us  the  chil- 
dren  of  God,  and  exalt  us  to  everlasting  life. 

[The  clause,  commencing  "  And  to  the  end,  &c." 
— which  belongs  here,  was  quoted  just  now  in  explain- 
ing the  meaning  of  this  Sacrament.  See  back  on 
page  ISl.] 

To  him,  therefore,  with  the  Father,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  let  us  give  (as  we  are  most  bounden)  continual 
thanks;  submitting  ourselves  wholly  to  his  holy  will 
and  pleasure,  and  studying  to  serve  him  in  true  holi- 
ness and  righteousness,  all  the  days  of  our  life. 
Ame7i. 

Then  shall  the  Priest  say  to  those  who  come  to  receive  the  Ho- 
ly Communion, 

Ye  who  do  truly  and  earnestly  repent  you  of  your 
sins,  and  are  in  love  and  charity  with  your  neighbors, 
and  intend  to  lead  a  new  life,  following  the  command- 
ments of  God,  and  walking  from  henceforth  in  his  ho- 
ly ways ;  draw  near  with  faith,  and  take  this  holy 
Sacrament  to  your  comfort;  and  make  your  humble 
confession  to  Almighty  God,  devoutly  kneeling. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         187 

Then  shall  this  general  Confession  be  made,  by  the  Priest  and 
all  those  who  are  minded  to  receive  the  Holy  Communion, 
humbly  kneeling. 

Almighty  God,  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
Maker  of  all  things.  Judge  of  all  men;  we  acknowl- 
edge and  bewail  our  manifold  sins  and  wickedness, 
which  we  from  time  to  time  most  grievously  have 
committed,  by  thought,  word,  and  deed,  against  thy 
divine  Majesty;  provoking  most  justly  thy  wrath  and 
indignation  against  us.  We  do  earnestly  repent,  and 
are  heartily  sorry  for  these  our  misdoings  ;  the  re- 
membrance of  them  is  grievous  unto  us;  the  burthen 
of  them  is  intolerable.  Have  mercy  upon  us,  have 
mercy  upon  us,  most  merciful  Father ;  for  thy  Son 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  forgive  us  all  that  is 
past;  and  grant,  that  we  may  ever  hereafter  serve  and 
please  thee  in  newness  of  life,  to  the  honour  and  glo- 
ry of  thy  name,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
A7nen." 

Lnmediately  before  the  Prayer  of  Consecration  the 
following  is  introduced  : 

"  Then  shall  the  Priest,  kneeling  down  at  the  Lord's  Table, 
say,  in  the  name  of  all  those  who  shall  receive  the  Communion 
this  Prayer  following : 

We  do  not  presume  to  come  to  this  thy  Table,  O 
merciful  Lord,  trusting  in  our  own  righteousness,  but 
in  thy  manifold  and  great  mercies.  We  are  not  wor- 
thy so  much  as  to  gather  up  the  crumbs  under  thy  Ta- 
ble. But  thou  art  the  same  Lord,  whose  property  is 
always  to  have  mercy  :  Grant  us  therefore,  gracious 
Lord,  so  to  eat  the  flesh  of  thy  dear  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
and  to  drink  his  blood,  that  our  sinful  bodies  may  be 
made  clean  by  his  body,  and  our  souls  washed  through 


188       THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

his  most  precious  blood,  and  that  we  may  evermore 
dwell  in  him,  and  he  in  us.     Amcny 

The  concluding  clauses  of  the  Prayer  of  Conse- 
cration quoted  under  the  former  head  illustrate  our 
topic  further.  The  reader  is  referred  to  them.  The 
same  qualifications  are  stated  concisely  in  the  Church 
Catechism  : 

"  Quest.  What  is  required  of  those  who  come  to 
the  Lord's  Supper  ? 

Ans.  To  examine  themselves,  whether  they  re- 
pent them  truly  of  their  former  sins,  stedfastly  pur- 
posing to  lead  a  new  life ;  have  a  lively  faith  in  God's 
mercy,  through  Christ,  with  a  thankful  remembrance 
of  his  death;   and  be  in  charity  with  all  men." 

We  might  have  added  illustrations  on  both  of  the 
topics  in  this  Section  from  the  Homilies,  particularly 
the  27th  (the  15th  of  the  second  Book),  on  the  Holy 
Sacrament,  but  they  are  not  necessary.  We  have 
purposely  omitted  to  illustrate  from  the  Articles  of 
Religion,  because  the  Articles  do  not  profess  to  go 
into  the  whole  subject  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  the 
standards  quoted  from,  and  referred  to  above  being 
thought  sufficient.  The  four  Articles  on  the  Lord's 
Supper  are  designed  simply  to  meet  certain  errors  of 
the  Church  of  Rome,  in  relation  to  it.  They  are  sub- 
joined : 

"Art.  XXVHI.  Of  the  Lord's  Supper.— The  Sup- 
per of  the  Lord  is  not  only  a  sign  of  the  Love  that 
Christians  ought  to  have  among  themselves  one  to 
another ;  but  rather  it  is  a  Sacrament  of  our  Re- 
demption by  Christ's  death:  insomuch  that  to  such  as 
rightly,  worthily,  and  with  faith  receive  the  same,  the 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.         189 

Bread  which  we  break  is  a  partaking  of  the  Body  of 
Christ;  and  likewise  the  Cup  of  Blessing  is  a  parta- 
king of  the  Blood  of  Christ. 

Transubstantiation  (or  the  change  of  the  Substance 
of  Bread  and  Wine)  in  the  Supper  of  the  Lord,  can- 
not be  proved  by  Holy  Writ  ;  but  it  is  repugnant  to 
the  plain  words  of  Scripture,  overthroweth  the  nature 
of  a  Sacrament,  and  hath  given  occasion  to  many  Su- 
perstitions. 

The  Body  of  Christ  is  given,  taken,  and  eaten  in 
the  Supper,  only  after  an  heavenly  and  spiritual  man- 
ner. And  the  mean  whereby  the  Body  of  Christ  is 
received  and  eaten  in  the  Supper,  is  Faith. 

The  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  not  by 
Christ's  Ordinance  reserved,  carried  about,  lifted  up, 
or  worshipped. 

Art.  XXIX.  Of  the  Wicked  which  eat  not  of  the 
Body  of  Christ  in  the  Use  of  the  Lords  Supper. — 
The  wicked  and  such  as  be  void  of  a  lively  faith, 
although  they  do  carnally  and  visibly  press  with  their 
teeth  (as  St.  Augustine  saith)  the  Sacraments  of  the 
Body  and  Blood  of  Christ ;  yet  in  no  wise  are  they 
partakers  of  Christ ;  but  rather  to  their  Condemna- 
tion do  eat  and  drink  the  Sign  or  Sacrament  of  so 
great  a  thing. 

Art.  XXX.  Of  both  Kinds.— The  Cup  of  the 
Lord  is  not  to  be  denied  to  the  Lay-People  :  for  both 
the  parts  of  the  Lord's  Sacrament  by  Christ's  Ordi- 
nance and  Commandment,  ought  to  be  ministered  to 
all  Christian  men  alike. 

Art.  XXXL  Of  the  one  Oblation  of  Christ  fin- 
ished upon  the  Cross. — The  offering   of  Christ  once 


190      THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

made,  is  that  perfect  redemption,  propitiation,  and  sat- 
isfaction for  all  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  both 
original  and  actual ;  and  there  is  none  other  satisfac- 
tion for  sin,  but  that  alone.  Wherefore  the  Sacrifice 
.  of  Masses,  in  which  it  was  commonly  said,  that  the 
Priest  did  offer  Christ  for  the  quick  and  the  dead,  to 
have  remission  of  pain  or  guilt,  were  blasphemous  fa- 
bles, and  dangerous  deceits." 

The  mode  of  admission  to  the  Lord's  Supper  has 
been  explained  in  Section  8,  on  admission  to  the  Sa- 
craments. The  rules  for  dealing  with  unworthy  com- 
municants have  been  shewn  in  Section  11,  on  Disci- 
pline. 

It  appears  to  us,  that  the  views  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  on  the  subject  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per— its  meaning,  the  qualifications  for  it,  the  mode 
of  admission  to  it,  and  the  discipline  of  those  who 
are  proved  unworthy  of  it — are  such  as  will  commend 
themselves  to  the  intelligent  judgment  and  the  hearty 
approval  of  sincere  Christians,  with  whatever  denom- 
ination they  may  be  connected.  There  is  nothing  at 
all  events,  so  far  as  its  views  on  the  Lord's  Supper 
are  concerned,  to  prevent  them  from  uniting  with  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

SECTION     XVII. 

LITERARY,     EDUCATIONAL,     BENEVOLENT,     AND    MISSIONARY     ASSOCI- 
ATIONS. 

Literary  Institutions — Emimoration  of  some — for  Males  and  Females — No 
General  Education  Society — various  Diocesan  Education  Societies — sub- 
ject of  Education  under  the  consideration  of  the  General  Convention — 
General  Sunday  School  Union — Diocesan  and  Local  S.  S.  Societies — Gen- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         191 

eral  Theological  Seminary — Diocesan  Theological  Seminaries — No  Gene- 
ral Bible  and  Tract  Societies — various  Diocesan  Bible  and  Tract  and 
Common  Prayer  Book  Societies — American  Bible  and  Tract  Societies — 
various  Diocesan  Benevolent  Societies — various  Diocesan  Missionary  So- 
cieties— City  Mission  Societies — the  General  Missionary  Society — notice 
of  its  constitution — great  Evangelical  principles  asserted  in  it — its  opera- 
tions—money collected  and  expended  by  it — its  principles  such  as  to  win 
the  assent  of  all  Christians. 

In  giving  a  view  of  the  System  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  it  is  proper  to  notice,  in  passing, 
such  topics  as  those  in  the  title  of  this  Section. 

1.  There  are  various  Literary  and  Collegiate  In- 
stitutions under  the  care  of  Episcopalians.  Among 
such  we  may  name  the  Vermont  Episcopal  Institute, 
of  Vermont ;  Washington  College,  of  Connecticut ; 
Columbia  College,  Geneva  College,  St.  Paul's  Col- 
lege, &c.,  of  New  York;  St.  Mary's  Hall  (for  fe- 
males), of  New  Jersey  ;  Kenyon  College,  of  Ohio  I 
Jubilee  College,  of  Illinois;  Episcopal  School,  of 
North  Carolina  ;  Columbia  Female  Institute,  of  Ten- 
nessee ;   Kemper  College,  of  Missouri,  &c. 

Some  of  these  institutions  are  under  the  charge  of 
the  Convention  of  the  Diocese  in  which  they  are  lo- 
cated. Among  such  we  name  the  Cheshire  Episco- 
pal Academy,  of  Connecticut. 

Besides  these,  there  are  very  many  Parochial 
schools,  and  Academies  for  males  and  for  females, 
and  Boarding  Schools,  under  the  care  of  the  Episco- 
palian clergy,  or  conducted  in  accordance  with  the 
principles  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

2.  There  are  various  Diocesan  Education  Socie- 
ties connected  with  the  Church  in  almost  all  the  Dio- 
ceses.    Such  for  instance,  are  the  Church  Scholar- 


192      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

ship  Society,  of  Connecticut;  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Religion  and  Learn- 
ing in  the  State  of  New  York,  the  Education  and 
Missionary  Society,  of  New  York,  &c. 

There  is,  however,  no  General  Education  Society 
connected  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
The  subject  has  been  several  times  before  the  Gene- 
ral Convention,  and  some  plan  will  probably  be  soon 
matured,  if  it  be  found  that  the  Diocesan  Education 
Societies  are  inadequate  to  all  the  wants  of  the 
Church. 

The  subject  of  "  the  Christian  Education  of  the 
youth  of  both  sexes  in  accordance  with  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Church"  is  now  in  the  hands  of  a  Com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  last  General  Convention, 
which  Committee  is  "to  make  such  a  report  to  the 
next  General  Convention,  as  may  aid  them  in  adopt- 
ing the  best  measures  for  promoting  this  great  object." 

There  is  a  General  Protestant  Episcopal  Sunday 
School  Union,  under  the  control  of  the  General  Con- 
vention, whose  Secretary  and  Depository  are  located 
in  New  York  City. 

There  are,  also,  many  Diocesan  and  City  Sunday 
School  Societies. 

There  is  a  General  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  under  the  control  of 
the  General  Convention,  located  in  the  City  of  New 
York.  Its  Faculty  are  very  able,  and  many  of  the 
clergy  of  the  Church  are  its  graduates. 

There  are,  besides,  sundry  Diocesan  Theological 
Seminaries,  such  as  that  at  Alexandria,  District  of 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       193 

Columbia;  at  Gambler,   Ohio;    at  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky ;   at  Peoria,  Illinois,  &ic. 

3.  There  are  no  General  Bible  or  Tract  Societies 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  The  existence 
of  the  American  Bible  and  Tract  Societies,  and  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Bible  and  Tract  Society  of  New- 
York,  whose  Depositories  are  in  a  central  point, 
seems  to  have  rendered  any  General  Societies  of  this 
sort  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  unnecessary. 
There  are  sundry  Diocesan  Societies  for  the  circu- 
lation of  Bibles  and  Tracts,  and  Common  Prayer 
Books,  such  as  the  New  York  Bible  and  Common 
Prayer  Book  Society,  of  New  York ;  the  Bishop 
White  Common  Prayer  Book  Society,  of  Pennsylva- 
nia; the  Protestant  Episcopal  Tract  Society,  of  New 
York ;  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Tract  Society,  of  Vir- 
ginia, &c. 

There  are  various  Diocesan  Benevolent  Societies, 
such  as  those  for  the  relief  of  the  widows  and  chil- 
dren of  deceased  clerrrymen,  &c. 

There  are  various  Benevolent  Institutions  of  other 
sorts.  Diocesan  and  Parochial,  connected  with  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

It  i£  to  be  remembered  that  many  Episcopalians  are 
connected  with  all  the  General  (not  denominational) 
Benevolent  Societies  in  our  country. 

4.  In  almost  dl  the  Dioceses  there  are  Diocesan 
Missionary  Societies,  for  the  prosecution  of  Domes- 
tic Missions  within  the  several  Dioceses,  such  as  the 
Education  and  Missionary  Society  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal   Church  in  the  State  of  New  York  ;    the 


194       THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Christian  Knowledge  in 
Connecticut ;  the  Board  of  Missions  in  Massachu- 
setts ;  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Clerical  Convocation 
of  Rhode  Island,  &c.  These  local  Societies  have 
done  much  good.  Probably  one  third  of  all  the  Dio- 
cesan clergy  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in 
the  United  States,  are  supported  wholly  or  in  part  by 
them.  Probably  seven-eighths  of  all  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Churches  in  the  United  States  have  been 
planted  and  sustained  by  them. 

There  are,  also,  Protestant  Episcopal  City  Missions 
sustained  in  several  of  the  large  cities  of  our  country, 
as  in  New  York,  Boston,  &c. 

There  is  a  General  Missionary  Society,  entitled 
"  The  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States 
of  America."  We  propose  to  review  some  leading 
principles  in  its  Constitution. 

In  the  first  place,  this  Society  is  composed,  not  of 
subscribers  as  such,  but  of  all  the  members  of  the 
Church,  according  to  the  2nd  Article  of  its  Constitu- 
tion :  "  The  Society  shall  be  considered  as  compre- 
hending all  persons  who  are  members  of  this  Churcii." 
The  principle  here  asserted  is  new  in  this  application 
of  it.  No  other  church,  we  believe,  excepting  that 
of  the  Episcopal  Church  of  the  United  Brethren, 
has  ever  asserted  it  distinctly  in  suoh  a  connexion. 
The  theory  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  as 
expressed  in  this  Article  with  authority,  is — that  the 
Church  of  Christ  is  itself  the  great  Missionary  Soci- 
ety appointed  by  Himself;  and  that  every  person  bap- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH,         195 

tized  into  this  Church  is,  ipso  facto,  whether  he  ac- 
knowledges his  obligation  or  not,  a  member  of  the 
Missionary  Society.  The  Constitution  of  this  Gene- 
ral Missionary  Society  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  i5  founded  upon  the  principle  here  asserted. 

Again,  the  principle  is  carried  out  into  the  organi- 
zation of  the  society  ;  for  according  to  the  3d  Article 
of  the  Constitution,  the  General  Convention  "  as  the 
constituted  representative  body  of  the  whole  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church  in  these  United  States,"  is  the 
Managing  or  Executive  Body,  which  has  the  entire 
control  of  the  Society.  Accordingly,  at  every  trien- 
nial meeting,  the  General  Convention  "  appoints,  by 
a  concurrent  vote,  on  nomination  by  a  joint  Commit- 
tee of  the  two  Houses,  a  Board  of  thirty  members, 
who,  together  with  the  Bishops  of  this  Church,  and 
such  persons  as  became  patrons  of  this  Society  before 
the  meeting  of  the  General  Convention  in  the  year 
1829,  shall  be  called  the  '  Board  of  Missions  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of 
America.'  " 

To  this  Board,  by  the  4th  Article,  is  "  entrusted 
the  supervision  of  the  General  (i.  e.  not  Diocesan) 
Missionary  operations  of  the  Church,  with  power  to 
establish  Missionary  stations,  appoint  Missionaries, 
make  appropriations  of  money,  regulate  the  conduct- 
ing of  Missions,  &c." 

This  Board,  by  the  6th  Article,  is  bound  to  "  pub- 
lish an  annual  report  of  their  proceedings  for  the  in- 
formation of  the  Society  (i.  e.  the  Church),  and  pre- 


196     THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

sent  a  triennial  report  to  each  stated  General  Conven- 
tion." 

This  Board,  also,  as  soon  as  may  be  after  it  has 
been  constituted,  is  bound,  by  the  Tth  Article,  to 
"  appoint  eight  persons,  four  of  whom  shall  be  cler- 
gymen, and  four  of  whom  shall  be  laymen,  who,  to- 
gether with  the  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  in  which  the 
Committee  shall  be  located,  shall  be  a  committee  for 
Domestic  Missions ;  and  eight  other  persons,  four  of 
whom  shall  be  clergymen,  and  four  of  whom  shall  be 
laymen,  who,  together  with  the  Bishop  of  the  Dio- 
cese in  which  the  Committee  shall  be  located,  shall 
be  a  Committee  for  Foreign  Missions  ;  all  of  whom 
shall  be,  ex  officio  members  of  the  Board  of  Missions. 
The  Board  of  Missions  shall  determine  the  location 
of  the  Committees  respectively." 

The  present  location  of  both  Committees  is  the 
City  of  New  York. 

According  to  the  9th  Article,  "  the  Board  of  Mis- 
sions shall  appoint,  for  each  Committee,  a  Secretary 
and  General  Agent,  with  a  suitable  salary,  wno  snail 
be  the  executive  officer  of  the  Committee,  to  collect 
information,  to  conduct  its  correspondence,  to  devise 
and  recommend  plans  of  operation,  and,  in  general, 
to  execute  all  the  purposes  of  the  Board,  in  his  proper 
sphere,  submitting  all  his  measures,  before  their 
adoption,  to  the  Committee  for  whom  he  is  appointed, 
for  their  approval.  Each  Committee  shall  appoint  a 
Treasurer.  Local  and  subordinate  agents  and  officers 
may,  when  necessary,  be  appointed  by  each  Commit- 
tee."    The  Rev.  J.  Dixon  Carder,  D.  D.  is  the  present 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         197 

Secretary  and  General  Agent  for  the  Domestic  Com- 
mittee ;  and  the  Rev.  John  A.  Vaughan,  D.  D.  for 
the  Foreign  Committee.  James  Swords,  Esq.  of  New 
York  is  Treasurer  for  the  Domestic  Committee  ;  and 
Dr.  John  Smyth  Rogers  of  New  York  for  the  For- 
eign Committee. 

We  have  thus  given  a  brief  sketch  of  the  plan  of 
this  General  Missionary  Society.  We  have  seen 
that  it  recognizes  distinctly,  at  the  very  head  of  its 
Constitution,  the  broad  principle  that  the  whole 
Church  is  the  great  Missionary  Society  ;  and  all  its 
organization  is  in  accordance  with  this  principle. 

Following  out  its  noble  principle  to  the  widest  ex- 
tent of  its  application,  it  asserts,  in  the  10th  Article, 
tliat  the  field  of  this  Society  is  the  world,  the  whole 
world,  and  that  all  parts  of  this  field  have  an  equal  claim 
upon  the  sympathies  and  exertions  of  the  Church  of 
Christ :  "  For  the  guidance  of  the  committees,  it  is  de- 
clared that  the  missionary  field  is  always  to  be  regarded 
as  one,  the  world;  the  terms  Domestic  and  Foreign  be- 
ing understood  as  terms  of  locality,  adopted  for  conven- 
ience. Domestic  missions  are  those  established  with- 
in, and  Foreign  missions  are  those  which  are  estab- 
lished icitliout  the  territory  of  the  United  States." 

As  is  very  proper  the  constitution  closes,  in  the 
13th  Article  with  a  solemn  recognition  of  the 
need  of  the  superintendence  and  blessing  of  Almighty 
God,  and  the  duty  of  constant  and  faithful  prayer  on 
the  part  of  the  Church  :  "  It  is  recommended  to  every 
member  of  this  Society  (the  Church)  to  pray  to  Al- 
mighty God  for  his  blessing  upon  its  designs,  under 


198        THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

the  full  conviction  that  unless  He  direct  us  in  all  our 
doings  with  His  most  gracious  favor,  and  further  us 
with  His  continual  help,  we  can  not  reasonably  hope 
to  procure  suitable  persons  to  act  as  Missionaries,  or 
expect  that  their  endeavors  will  be  successful." 

The  operations  of  this  society  have  hitherto  been 
very  much  blessed  both  in  our  western  Territories 
and  new  States,  and  also  in  Foreign  lands.  But  it 
has  been  straitened  for  means.  Its  income  at  present 
is  only  about  sixty  thousand  dollars  per  annum.  It  is, 
however,  promising  to  do  more ;  and  the  plans  of 
the  society  are  formed  in  faith ;  and  it  is  trusted, 
that  ere  long,  this  General  Missionary  Society  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  will  call  out  the  whole 
strength  of  the  Church  in  sustaining  and  carrying 
into  full  and  triumphant  effect,  the  noble  and  truly 
evangelical  missionary  principles  which  are  so  une- 
quivocally asserted  in  its  Constitution. 

It  cannot  be  denied,  that  the  theory  of  missions,  and 
the  relation  of  the  Church  to  this  subject,  declared  so 
authoritatively  by  the  General  Convention,  are  cor- 
rect. 

If  the  conviction  of  right  principles  and  also  the 
frankest  acknowledgment  of  duty  are  evidences  of 
the  soundness  and  honorableness  of  a  Church,  then 
there  is  much  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  to 
invite  to  its  unity  all  those,  certainly,  who  love  to 
own  and  to  fulfil  the  last  charge  of  their  ascended 
Lord  :  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature." 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHUKCH.      199 


SECTION      XVIII 


Replies  to  several  enquiries — liberty  in  the  P.  E.  Churcli — to  join  voluntary 
and  benevolent  societies — to  form  associations  for  religious  improvement 
— to  offer  extemporaneous  prayers — to  engage  in  social  meetings  for  reli- 
gious purposes — to  make  special  efforts  for  the  good  of  sduIs — statement  of 
a  grand  principle  of  liberty  in  the  P.  E.  Church — this  Church  therefore 
dear  to  all  friends  of  religious  liberty. 

There  are  certain  questions,  which  meet  Episco- 
palians continually,  and  which  deserve  to  be  answered 
in  our  present  review.  We  have  selected  a  few  as 
specimens  of  the  class.  These  we  will  briefly  an- 
swer ;  and  then  we  will  state  the  principle  upon 
which  the  answers  are  rendered. 

1.  Are  the  ministers  and  members  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  at  liberty  to  join  the  various 
voluntary  societies  for  benevolent  and  other  purposes, 
such  as  bible,  tract,  colonization,  anti-slavery,  peace, 
temperance,  and  other  societies  ? 

We  reply  :  they  are  at  perfect  liberty  to  do  so ;  and 
we  believe,  distinguished  members  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  are  among  the  leading  men  in  all 
these  societies. 

2.  Are  the  ministers  and  members  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  at  liberty  to  unite  themselves 
in  little  bands,  or  classes  or  associations  for  their  per- 
sonal improvement  in  religious  knowledge  and  affec- 
tions— associations  like  those,  for  instance,  in  the 
Methodist  societies? 


200        THE     COMPREHENSIVE     C  II  U  U  C  11  . 

We  reply  :  they  are  at  perfect  liberty  to  do  so. 
Such  associations  of  Episcopalian  ministers  are  very 
common  ;  and  in  many,  probably  most  Episcopalian 
parishes,  associations  of  the  Laity  similar  in  many  re- 
spects do  exist,  though  their  names  may  be  different, 
and  though  they  have  no  formal  name  by  which  they 
are  distinguished. 

3.  Are  the  ministers  and  members  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  ever  allowed  to  offer  extempo- 
raneous prayers  ? 

We  reply:  they  are  at  perfect  liberty  to  do  so,  on 
every  occasion,  and  in  all  circumstances,  for  which 
no  regular  services  are  provided. 

4.  Are  the  ministers  and  members  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  ever  allowed  to  engage  in  prayer 
meetings  and  other  social  meetino-s  for  relin-ious 
purposes  ? 

We  reply :  they  are  at  perfect  liberty  to  do  so  ;  and 
such  meetings  have  been  always  more  or  less  com- 
mon. 

5.  Are  the  ministers  and  members  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  ever  allov/ed  to  engage  in  pro- 
tracted meetings,  and  other  special  and  extraordinary 
efforts  for  the  good  of  souls  1 

We  reply  :  they  are  at  perfect  liberty  to  do  so. 
The  various  festivals  and  the  fasts,  the  season  of  Lent, 
and  the  solemn  Passion  week,  all  appointed  by  the 
Church,  are  of  this  character.  So  also  are  the  vari. 
ous  clerical  associations  and  convocations.  The  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church  holds,  that  men  cannot  pray 
too  much,  nor  know  too  much  of  the  Word  of  God, 


THE      C  O  M  P  U  E  11  E  N  S  I  V  E     CHURCH.       201 

nor  make  too  much  effort  for  their  own  salvation  and 
that  of  others.  Supreme  devotion  is  the  end  of  all 
its  arrangements.  If  the  services  of  a  congregation 
should  be  protracted  through  a  year,  or  a  century 
of  years,  there  would  be  an  "  Order  for  Daily  Morn- 
ing Prayer,"  and  an  "  Order  for  Daily  Evening  Pray- 
er," and  a  "Table  of  Lessons  of  Holy  Scripture  to 
be  read  at  morning  and  evening  Prayer,"  provided  by 
the  Church,  for  every  day  in  the  year,  or  in  the  cen- 
tury of  years,  and  offered  to  the  use  of  that  congre- 
gation. 

We  have  thus  selected,  and  answered  distinctly,  a 
few  very  common  and  very  broad  questions. 

The  principle,  upon  which  our  replies  have  been 
rendered,  will  apply  to  all  other  questions  concerning 
the  lawfulness  of  things  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church.  The  grand  principle  referred  to,  and  which 
lies  at  the  foundation  of  the  system  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  is  this — perfect  liberty  in  all  things 
not  drjincd  hy  the  positive  Imcs  which  have  been  made 
and  acknoioJedgcd  by  the  whole  Church. 

Every  thing  not  defined  by  these  laws  is  lawful  ; 
and  the  only  question,  in  reference  to  any  such  thing, 
is  this  :  Is  it  expedient  ?  For  it  is  true,  in  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  as  it  was 
in  the  Primitive  and  Apostolical  Church,  of  which 
St.  Paul  wrote  :  (1  Cor.  x:  23.)  "All  things  are 
lawful  for  me,  but  all  things  are  not  expedient :  all 
things  are  lawful  for  me,  but  all  things  edify  not." 

Within  this  Church  may  not  all  unite,  who  would 
"  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made 
them  free ''" 


202   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH 


SECTION   XIX. 

ADAPTiVENESS. 

The  p.  E  Clmrcli  adn.pted  to  all  circamstanccs  of  society,  and  all  the  tem- 
peraments and  liabitudesof  men — thus  proved  a  true  Church — accordant 
with  the  design  of  the  C'lmrch — importance  of  adaptivcness — folly  of  es- 
tablishing a  Churcli  on  different  principles — necessity  of  adajitiveness 
illustrated — the  opposite  of  adaptiveness  a  fundamental  error  in  scctarisni 
— lessons  from  the  history  of  the  past — tlie  Church  may  not  forbid  any 
thing,  and  may  use  every  thing,  but  sin — objections  answered — no  evils 
resulting  from  adaptivcness  in  the  P.  E.  Church — such  cvilscaniiot  exist 
in  it — illustrated — tlie  writers  advice  to  liis  Christian  brethren — a  word  to 
Episcopalians — tlie  P.  E.  Church  founded  on  the  most  expansive  princi- 
ples. 

Under  the  principle  stated  in  the  last  Section,  it 
will  be  seen,  while  individuals  are  left  to  the  most  un- 
restricted Christian  liberty,  the  Church  is,  at  tlie 
same  time,  made  beautifully  and  exactly  adaptive  to 
all  the  varying  circumstances  of  society  and  all  the 
peculiar  temperaments  and  habitudes  of  men. 

The  propriety  of  the  principle,  and  the  vital  impor- 
tance of  such  adaptiveness  in  the  system  of  the  Church, 
will  be  evident,  if  we  look  for  a  moment  at  the  design 
of  the  Church.  It  is  intended  to  take  in  all  men,  in 
all  places,  at  all  times,  that  it  may  teach  and  bless 
them,  and  keep  them  near  to  the  Great  Head.  The 
Church,  in  its  theory,  is  universal.  It  must  therefore 
accommodate  itself  to  all.  It  nmst  be,  like  its  min- 
isters, "  all  things  to  all  men,  that  by  any  means  it 
may  win  some."  The  example  of  Christ  is  the  rule 
and  pattern  of  His  Church  ;  and  as  He  adapted  Him- 
self to  all  persons  and  all  circumstances,  so  must  His 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  203 

Church  imitate  Him.  This  adaptiveness  is  essential 
to  the  very  idea  of  the  Church  ;  and  every  Church 
which  does  not  have  it,  is  radicaiiy,  if  not  fatally  de- 
fective. The  Church  represents  the  universal  religion 
of  Christ,  and  must  therefofe  be  fitted  to  every  class 
and  condition  and  period  of  mankind. 

Now  the  habits  and  the  intelligence  of  some  com- 
munities are  very  aifferent  from  those  of  others,  and 
such  must  be  approached  in  some  respects  very  differ- 
ently. So,  too.  in  all  communities,  there  is  a  vast  di- 
versity in  the  physical  and  moral  temperaments  of 
individuals,  and  the  social  habits  and  modes  of  inter- 
course of  d'ffei^ent  classes  of  individuals.  The  Church 
must  ineet  them  all,  nay  more,  she  must  embrace  them 
all,  nay,  she  must  even  do  much  more,  she  must  make 
usp  of  all  these  diversities,  she  must  employ  them  all 
as  her  own  instruments  (with  which  the  God  of  nature 
has  furnished  her)  for  elevating  all  classes  to  holiness, 
and  conforming  all  individuals  to  the  image  of  the 
Lord. 

It  is  impossible,  indeed,  (to  use  the  strong  language 
of  a  friend  in  conversation  on  another  topic,)  "  it  is 
treason  against  nature  and  treason  against  nature's 
God,"  to  attempt  to  shape  all  the  varieties  of  individ- 
ual mental,  moral,  and  physical  character,  by  one 
exact  and  elaborately  contrived  standard  of  human 
rules.  The  attempt  has  been  made  often  enough,  and 
has  always  necessarily  failed.  It  is  the  fundamental 
error  in  sectarism.  It  is  an  error  into  which  the 
weakness  of  men  is  continually  falling.  It  springs 
from  that  inordinate  but  hidden  self-love,  which  causes 


204      THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

every  man  to  look  at  himself  as  the  standard  of  per- 
fection, to  which  all  others  must  be  made  to  conform. 
The  Church,  which  embodies  this  error  into  its  sys- 
tem must  be  always  a  'iimited  Church,  the  Church  of 
a  sect,  of  a  class  of  men,  not  the  Church  for  the 
world.     It  has  in  it  no  elemvints  of  universality. 

To  illustrate  :  the  man  of  intellectual    and   refined 
tastes  and  of  a  sensitive  and  meditative  temperament, 
will  enjoy  much  the  solemn   and  regular   services   of 
the  public  worship  of  the  Church,  as  well  as  private 
and  intimate  communion  with  his  friend  on  the  thincrs 
of  religion.     He    may  examine  much  his  own  heart, 
and  "purify  himself  as  He  is  pure,"   and  be  often  in 
prayer.     Yet  he  may  not  be  profited  by  more  informal 
and  social  and  communicative   assemblies.     His  reli- 
gious sensibilities,    which  are  of  course   modified   by 
his  other  personal    characteristics,    might  indeed  be 
seriously  injured  by  them.     He  might  become  criti- 
cal and  perhaps  cynical ;   at  least,   he    would    bear   a 
burden  inconsistent   with  his  Christain   liberty.     So 
long  as  he  loves  and  serves  his  Master,  and  is  faithful 
in  the    discharge  of  the  manifest   duties  of  piety,  it 
would  be  wrong  to  insist  that  he  must  conform  to  cus- 
toms which  are  not  consonant  to  his  peculiar  charac- 
ter.    On  the  other   hand  he  will  be  no  standard  for 
men  of  a  different   class.     If  he   requires   one  rule, 
they  require   another.     The   men  of  every  day  life, 
common  men,  the  great  world  of  men  for  whom  Christ 
died  and    whom  Christ  loves,    must  in  their   turn  be 
indulged  while  they  consult  their  natural  predilections. 
Not  sensitive,  not   meditative,  like  the   other,    or  at 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.        20o 

least  in  the  same  degree,  accustomed  to  be  much 
together  and  to  converse  with  unreserved  freedonl 
with  each  other  upon  all  topics ;  practical  and  confi- 
ding in  all  their  habits  ;  familiar  with  the  animated  and 
exciting  and  discursive  language  of  conversation, 
rather  than  the  formal  and  quiet  and  studied  language 
of  books  ;  these  men  require,  they  must  and  will  have^ 
a  liberty  to  act  out  their  own  religious  sensibilities  in 
their  own  way,  and  if  they  cannot  have  this  liberty  in 
one  Church,  they  will  have  it  in  another. 

Now  we  would  not  legislate  for  this  liberty.  Th6 
very  law  which  should  grant,  woMid  limit.  There  is 
no  law  which  could  reach  all  cases  in  any  one  com- 
munity or  in  any  one  period,  much  less  in  all  places 
and  all  ages.  The  proper  course  is,  as  in  the  system 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  (would  it  were 
better  understood  even  by  its  own  members  !)  to  leave 
this  liberty  Untouched,  without  either  the  condemna- 
tion or  the  justification  of  law.  The  true  Church  of 
Christ,  who  is  the  universal  Redeemer,  and  whose 
Church  represents  the  universal  religion,  is  liberal  and 
forbearing  with  all.     It  is  adapted  to  all. 

There  are  some  lessons  in  the  history  of  the  past 
which  apply  forcibly  to  this  subject.  So  long  as  the 
Church  of  Rome,  even  after  it  had  lost  the  "  harm- 
iessness  of  the  dove,"  retained  the  "  wisdom  of  the 
serpent,"  and,  instead  of  restricting,  encouraged  liber- 
ty, it  was  sustained  with  all  its  errors.  When  the 
zeal  of  a  St.  Dominic,  or  a  St.  Francis,  or  a  St.  Ber^ 
nard,  or  a  Loyola  was  active  and  had  excited  power- 
ful sympathies,  that  Church,  instead  of  opposing  that 

18 


20G        THE     COMPREHENSIVE     C  II  U  IX  Clf  , 

zeal  and  those  sympathies,  employed  them  as  its  own 
agencies,  and  made  for  itself  most  powerful  friends 
and  supporters  of  the  very  classes,  which  would  have 
been  its  bitter  adversaries,  if  they  had  been  opposed. 
The  broad  and  rapid  stream,  which  flows  forth,  melt- 
ed from  nature's  ice  by  the  genial  summer  sun,  or 
projected  from  the  mountain  by  nature's  volcanic  fires, 
and  which  it  would  be  utterly  vain  to  attempt  to  force 
back  or  to  bury,  may  be  easily  diverted  and  guided  in 
its  course,  and,  like  the  rivers  of  Asia,  be  made  to 
irrigate  and  fertilize  and  bless  the  land. 

There  is  but  one  thing  which  the  Church  of  Christ 
may  at  all  times  forbid,  but  one  thing  in  the  world, 
which  it  may  not  under  some  circumstances  be  justi- 
fied in  using, — and  that  one  thing  is  sin.  To  fight 
against  nature  in  all  other  things  is  to  fight  against 
God  ;  for  God  is  in  every  thing  except  sin.  Rather 
let  the  Church,  like  her  Divine  and  Almighty  and  All- 
wise  Head,  seek  not  to  destroy  or  to  suppress  nature, 
but  to  control  nature  ;  not  to  oppose  any  of  the  legiti- 
mate operations  of  nature,  but  to  bend  them  all  as 
her  own  appropriate  instrumentalities  given  her  from 
heaven,  to  the  accomplishment  of  her  own  heavenly 
purposes — the  glory  of  God,  and  the  salvation  of" 
souls. 

The  characteristic  of  adaptiveness,  whose  impor- 
tance we  have  been  briefly  illustrating,  belongs  to  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  ;  and  it  is  produced  by 
the  large  liberty  and  toleration  which  are  radical  prin- 
ciples in  its  organization. 

It  is  well  to  state  here,  that  the  evils  which  are  sup- 


THE     C  O  M  1*  R  E  H  E  N  S  I  V  E     CHURCH.       207 

posed  sometimes  to  result  from  such  liberty,  cannot 
result  from  it  in  the  Church,  which  is  adapted  to 
universality.  They  result  from  it  often  in  sects ;  be- 
cause it  is  at  variance  with  the  narrow  and  intolerant 
spirit  of  sectarism.  They  cannot  result  from  it  in  a 
Church  universal,  for  it  accords  exactly  with  the  spirit 
or  genius  of  such  a  Church.  That  which  is  liberty 
in  the  universal  Church,  is  but  revolution  or  tyranny 
in  the  sect.  The  elasticity  of  an  adaptive  Church 
will  yield,  and  fit  it  to  every  impression.  The  rigidity 
of  the  sect  (which  demands  absolute  unity  in  all 
things  and  cannot  yield  nor  bend  without  relinquish- 
ing its  peculiarity  or  distinctiveness)  is  such,  that 
either  itself  must  be  broken  by  the  new  impression, 
or  its  members  must  be  all  crushed  by  it  into  one 
mass. 

We  believe,  that  the  evils  referred  to  cannot  result 
from  the  most  extensive  toleration  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.  There  are  in  it  restraining  and 
regulating  influences  always  steadily  and  powerfully 
at  work — its  standards  of  faith,  and  its  standards  of 
prayer,  and  its  constant  lessons  from  the  word  of  God. 
The  experience  of  the  past  corresponds  with  the  con- 
clusions of  our  judgment,  that  no  permanent  or  con- 
siderable evils  (certainly  none  equivalent  to  the  evils 
of  intolerance)  can  result  from  the  most  unrestricted 
exercise  of  that  large  liberty  which  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  allows  to  its  members.  We  believe, 
that  this  Church,  while  in  its  liberal  system  it  is  the 
encourager  and  patron  of  all  varieties  of  action  and 
effort  for  the  promotion  of  human  piety,  is,   at  the 


208       THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

same  time,  in  its  careful  and   scripturally    defended 
system,  the  regulator  and  guide  of  them  all. 

That  evils  may  and  do  result  from  liberty  under 
any  circumstances,  we  grant ;  but  there  are  evils  re- 
sulting from  every  thing  which  is  connected  at  all 
with  the  imperfection  and  frailty  of  man's  moral  and 
mental  nature.  It  cannot  be  otherwise.  Still  we 
contend,  that  where  there  is  liberty  there  can  be  no 
permanent  evils.  Such  as  may  arise,  will  be  tempo- 
rary ;  they  will  cure  themselves  ;  they  will  be  remov- 
ed soon  by  the  common  sense  and  experience  of  men. 
New  evils,  occasional  evils,  will  arise  and  be  removed 
continually,  while  the  great  body  of  the  Church  shall 
he  continually  progressing  in  grace  and  happiness.  It 
cannot  be  thus  where  there  is  intolerance.  Evils,  the 
evils  which  always  appertain  to  things  human,  v/ill  be 
made  permanent ;  and  the  devotions  of  many  souls 
will  be  repressed  ;  and  error  will  pass  into  malignity 
and  heresy  ;  and  innocent  diversity  of  opinion  or  of 
practice  will  go  out  into  rancorous  and  deadly  schism. 
This  has  been  the  woful  history  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  It  takes  but  the  enactment  of  a  positive  law 
— done  in  a  moment  of  deliberation,  or,  it  may  be,  of 
carelessness  or  of  passion — to  make  a  religious  duty 
or  a  sin  of  a  matter  in  itself  indifferent  or  unimpor- 
tant ;  and  rulers,  as  well  ecclesiastical  as  civil,  should 
beware  how  they  exert  their  power.  The  great  fault 
of  ecclesiastical  legislators,  in  all  ages  of  the  Church, 
has  been  in  legislating  too  much.  They  seem  to  have 
forgotten  how  wide  and  almost  boundless  is  the  appli- 
cation of  g,  law,  though  it  appejir  to  be  circumscribed  l 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       209 

and  that  even  a  legal  license  will  operate  soeiev^here 
as  a  legal  prohibition.  They  seem  to  have  forgotten 
that  there  are  laws  in  nature  itself  and  in  the  Gospel 
as  well  as  in  their  codes  of  canons.  The  legislators 
of  a  Church  ought  to  have  faith  in  the  common  sense 
and  the  deliberate  judgments  and  the  sincere  hearts  of 
the  Christian  people ;  they  should  trust  much  to  the 
laws  of  experience,  the  laws  of  the  human  mind  and 
affections ;  they  should  have  calm  confidence  in  the 
gracious  care  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  superintendence 
of  the  Head  of  the  Church.  They  ought  not  to  seek 
to  curtail  the  liberty  of  the  earnest  soul  in  its  search- 
ings  after  holiness  and  God. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  as  it  now  exists, 
is,  in  the  highest  sense,  an  adaptive  Church.  It  is 
able  to  take  in  the  countless  diversities  in  the  practice 
of  the  Christian  community,  and  to  hallow  them  all,  by 
the  spirit  of  unity ;  to  convert  them  all  from  oppo- 
nents, often  too  bitter  and  severe,  into  friendly  and 
loving  co-workers  with  each  other,  all  in  the  unity  of 
its  one  capacious  system.  We  pray  that  the  day  may 
be  forever  removed,  when  this  Church  shall  be  taken 
off  from  its  present  free  and  adaptive  principles,  to  be 
placed  upon  an  intolerant  and  sectarian  foundation. 
And  if  the  day  shall  come,  when  its  own  members 
and  others  professing  Christianity,  shall  understand 
well  the  adaptiveness  of  its  system,  then  the  glorious 
ideal  of  an  united  and  happy  Church  will  be  realized. 
But  never  can  that  ideal  be  realized  until  these  prin- 
ciples are  acknowledged  sincerely  and  in  practice. 

If  the  writer  may  be  indulged  in  offering  one  word, 

18* 


210      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

of  advice  to  his  Christian  brethren  generally,  he  will 
say,  let  the  principles  of  a  Church,  so  free,  and  so 
adaptive,  be  carried  out.  So  long  as  men  are  willing 
to  conform  to  laws  which  respect  essential  duty,  leave 
them  in  other  matters  to  their  liberty.  You  cannot, 
you  ought  not  to  restrict  them.  If  men  are  willing 
to  strive  after  holiness,  let  them  do  so  in  every  way; 
it  is  hard  enough  to  be  gained  in  any  way.  And  be 
sure,  that  whatsoever  custom  or  effort  will  promote 
holiness  is  accordant  with  the  design  and  the  system 
of  Christ's  true  Church.  Let  men  alone,  leave  them 
to  themselves,  so  long  as  they  are  willing  to  come  to- 
gether upon  the  great  essential  principles  on  which 
Christ's  Church  is  founded. 

To  the  Protestant  Episcopalian  we  say  :  look  well 
to  the  system  of  your  Church,  and  endeavor  to  catch 
its  spirit  of  forbearance  and  toleration,  its  spirit  of 
wisdom  and  comprehensiveness.  And  remember,  if 
ever  you  should  be  tempted  to  strive,  or  even  to  wish, 
to  restrict  the  Christian  liberty  of  your  brother — his 
liberty  in  things  not  essential  to  salvation — then  you 
will  be  tempted  to  war  treacherously,  and  in  the  spirit 
of  sectarism,  against  the  grand  and  glorious  princi- 
ples upon  which  your  Church  is  established. 

SECTION     XX. 

RELIGIOUS    DEVOTION   AXD   ACTION. 

Two  tests  of  a  Church— Religious  Devotion— formulancs  of  the  P.  E. 
Church— high  spirituality— order  of  services— holy  men  of  the-  Church — 
distinction  between  the  system  of  the  P.  E.  Church  and  other  systems  for 
the  production  of  devotion— Relig-ious  Action— yariety  and  arrangement 
of  evangelical  subjects— in  connexion  with  liberty— and  with  adaptive- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       211 

ness — the  P.  E.  Church  the  revival  Church  of  the  U.  S. — working  of  the 
system — such  a  Church  sliouW  be  dear  to  all  true  Christians. 

In  looking  at  the  system  of  a  Church — as  a  practi- 
cal system,  there  are,  among  others,  two  grand  results, 
by  which  it  must  be  tested  ;^rs<j  Religious  Devotion, 
that  is,  its  capacity  to  improve  and  cultivate  the  piety 
and  spirituality  of  Christ's  disciples,  and  next,  Reli- 
gious Action,  that  is,  its  fitness  to  act  upon  the  world 
in  converting  it  to  the  service  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

In  considering  these  results  from  the  system  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  we 
can  only  allude  to  them  in  the  briefest  terms.  We 
do  so,  that  the  reader  may  follow  out  the  subject  more 
fully  in  his  own  thoughts,  and  in  the  more  extensive 
treatises  of  others. 

I.  Religious  Devotion. — The  Formularies  of 
social  public  worship,  or,  as  the  Church  terms  it,  of 
common  prayer,  illustrate  the  spiritual  standard  of 
Churchmen.* 

*  "  Our  Liturgy"  says  Bishop  Newton,  "  was  composed  principally  outof 
scripture  or  out  of  ancient  liturgies  and  father  s .  Our  prayers  are  address- 
ed to  the  proper  object  through  Ihepropcr  mediator ;  to  the  one  God,  through 
the  '  one  mediator  between  God  and  man'  the  man  Clirist  Jesus.  Each  col- 
lect (prayer)  begins  with  a  solemn  invocation  of  the  one,  and  concludes 
with  the  prevailing  merits  and  intercessions  of  tlie  other.  The  variety  of 
our  service  is  another  excellence  in  the  composition  of  it,  and  contributes 
much  to  the  keeping  up  of  our  attention  and  devotion.  A  sameness  in  any- 
thing soon  satiates  and  wearies  us  ;  and  it  is  as  difficult  to  keep  the  mind, 
as  it  is  the  body  long  in  one  posture.  But  by  the  beautiful  intermixture  of 
prayer  and  praise,  ot  stipplication  and  thanksgiving',  of  confession  and 
absolution,  of  hymns  and  creeds,  of  psalms  and  lessons,  (of  Holy  Scripture) 
our  weariness  is  relieved,  our  attention  is  renewed,  and  we  are  led  on 
agreeably  from  one  subject  to  another.  The  frame  of  our  Liturgy  is  some- 
what like  the  frame  of  the  world  ;  it  is  order  in  variety,  and  though  all  the 
parts  are  different,  yet  the  whole  is  consistent  and  regular.  What  renders 
it  more  excellent  is  its  comprehensiveness.    There  is  nothing  that  relates 


212        THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

We  cannot  enter  here  into  any  analysis  of  these. 
We  beg  the  reader  to  examine  for  himself  the  book 
of  common  prayer  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States ;   and  we  venture  to  af- 

either  to  ourselves  or  others,  nothing  that  concerns  us  either  as  wen  or  mem- 
bers of  society,  nothing  that  conduces  to  our  liappiness  in  this  world  or  in 
the  world  to  come,  but  is  comprehended  in  some  or  other  of  tlie  petitions. 
It  is  easy  while  the  minister  is  reading  it,  to  appropriate  and  apply  any  pas- 
sage to  ourselves  and  our  own  case.  A  great  deal  is  eipressed  but  more  is 
implied  ;  and  our  devotions  in  our  closets,  and  in  our  families,  we  cannot 
better  perhaps  express,  than  in  the  words  of  our  Liturgy  :  it  is  so  suited  to 
all  ranks  and  conditions,  and  adapted  to  all  wants  and  occasions.  The  con- 
gregation  have  particular  reason  to  be  pleased,  as  they  have  a  larger  share 
in  our  service  than  in  any  other  whatever  ;  and  the  minister  and  people  mu- 
tually raise  and  inflame  eacli  other's  devotions.  It  is  a  singular  privilege, 
therefore,  that  our  people  enjoy,  of  bearing  so  large  a  part  in  our  service  ; 
and  it  is  this  that  properly  denominates  ours,  what  really  none  else  is,  a  book 
(service)  of  commox  jji-njcr."  Quoted  in  Bishop  IlobarVs  "  Companion  for 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer."  p.  8 — 10. 

"  I  discovered  in  this  (the  P.  E.)  Clmrch,  in  addition  to  sound  doctrine, 
evangelical  piety,  and  a  truly  Catholic  spirit,  the  appendages  of  a  Liturgy 
which  furnished  the  worshiper  with  a  medium  of  prayer  that  was  appropri- 
ate, comprehensive,  and  spiritual,  that  atTorded  security  against  otfensive 
additions  as  well  as  defections  and  variati^ms,  and  that  established  a  firm 
bulwark  against  any  e.\tensive  or  permanent  degeneration  into  heresy  — a 
form  of  public  worship  tliat  gave  and  secured  to  the  scriptures  their  deserv- 
ed participation  in  the  service  of  the  sanctuary  ;  and  a  discipline  which  a 
succession  of  ages  has  proved  to  be  an  elfectual  preservation  of  union  and 
subordination.  I  was  not  a  little  confirmed  in  my  determination  to  make 
this  the  Church  of  my  choice,  by  the  approbation  which  intelligent  and 
catholic  spirited  clergymen  of  my  former  communion  awarded  to  the  Epis- 
copal Church  ;  and  among  them,  one  who  stands  second  to  scarcely  a  cler- 
gyman in  the  land  in  point  of  influence,  learning,  and  talent,  assured  me, 
that  had  he  known  as  much  of  this  Church  when  he  was  a  candidate  for  the 
ministry,  as  he  now  did,  he  should  without  hesitation  have  made  his  election 
to  be  an  Episcopalian.  In  conclusion,  1  will  only  add  that  nearly  fifteen 
years  of  intimate  acquaintance  with  this  Church,  has  strengthened  my  bond 
of  attachment,  nor  have  I  to  record  a  single  circumstance  of  a  seriously  ad- 
verse character,  save  this — that  Episcopalians  in  general  do  not  rise  up  to  the 
lofty  standard  and  sublime  spirituality  of  the  Liturgy,  Articles  and  discipline 
of  their  apostolical  Church." — Extract  from  a  letter  in  the  Rev.  J.  .9- 
aark's  "  Walk  about  Sion,"  p.  277, 278. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       213 

firm,  that  however  high  may  be  his  attainments  in  the 
divine  life,  in  the  imitation  of  the  spirit  and  character 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  will  find  the  devotion  of 
this  volume  still  equal  to  him,  still  in  advance  of  him.* 

*  "  That  distinguished  Methodist  divine,  Dr.  Adam  Clark,  says  of  the 
Liturgy  of  the  P.  E.  Church,  '  it  is  almost  universally  esteemed  by  the  de- 
vout and  pious  of  every  denomination,  and  is  the  greatest  effort  of  the  Re- 
formation, next  to  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the  English  lan- 
guage ;  a  work  which  all  who  are  acquainted  with  it,  deem  superior  to 
every  thing  of  the  kind,  produced  either  by  ancient  or  modern  times,  and 
several  of  the  prayers  and  services  in  which,  were  in  use  in  the  first  ages  of 
Christianity,  and  many  of  the  best  of  them  before  the  name  of  Pope  or  Po- 
pery was  known  in  the  earth.  As  a  form  of  devotion  it  has  no  equal  in 
ANY  PART  of  THE  uxlvERSAl  Church  OF  GoD.  It  is  founded  On  those  doc- 
trines which  contain  the  sum  and  essence  of  Christianity,  and  speaks  the 
language  of  the  sublimest  piety,  and  of  the  most  refined  devotional  feeling. 
Next  to  the  bible,  it  is  the  book  of  my  understanding  and  of  my 

HEART.' 

'  Though  a  Protestant  Dissenter,'  says  the  eminent  Baptist  minister,  Rob- 
ert Hall,  speaking  of  the  Liturgy, '  I  am  by  no  means  insensible  to  its  merits. 

I  BELIEVE  that  THE  EVANGELICAL  PURITY  OF  ITS  SENTIMENTS,  THE  CHAS- 
TISED FERVOR  OF  ITS  DEVOTION,  AND  THE  MAJESTIC  SIMPLICITY  OF  ITS  LAN" 
GUAGE,  HAVE  COMBINED  TO  PLACE  IT  IN  THE  VERY  FIRST  RANK  OF  UNINSPIRED 
COMPOSITIJNS.'  " 

These  quotations  are  taken  from  the  "  Churchman's  Manual,"  an  admira- 
ble volume,  by  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Dorr,  Rector  of  Christ's  Church,  Philadel- 
phia, formerly  of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  and  more  recently  Secretary  and  general 
agent  of  the  Dom.  Com,  of  the  Bd.  of  Miss,  of  the  P.  E.  C.  in  theU.  S. 
The  doctrines,  ministry  and  worship  of  the  P.  E.  Church  are  clearly 
r.nd  concisely  opened  and  defended  in  this  volume.  Testimonies  to  the  same 
effect  with  the  above  might  be  multiplied  from  other  sources.  We  subjoin 
a  single  extract  from  a  more  partial,  but  very  instructive  and  able  writer: 
"  In  the  Liturgy  we  have  the  very  words  in  which  some  of  the  most  saintly 
of  men  chose  to  breathe  out  their  devotions.  There  are  the  prayers  of  such 
men  as  Crysostom,  Gregory,  and  Cranmer,  with  a  '  noble  army'  of  others, 
whose  names  are  high  in  the  estimation  of  every  true  Christian.  And  tliere 
y/e  have  the  rich  and  heavenly  spirit  of  the  olden  time — the  time  when  men 
'  walked  with  God,'  and  earnestly  contended  for  the  faith  delivered  to  them. 
If  we  shall  ever  catch  the  fervor  of  those  primitive  days,  will  it  not  be  when 
the  incense  of  prayer  is  offered  in  the  same  censer  of  antiquity  1  Blame  ua 
not,  then,  if  we  value  our  Liturgy.  It  embodies  the  anthems  of  saints.  It 
thrills  the  heart  with  the  dying  songs  of  the  faithful.  It  is  hallowed  with 
^be  blood  of  martyrs.    It  glows  with  sacred  fire,    liong  may  it  resound  in 


214     THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Not  to  allude  to  numerous  arguments  in  proof  of 
the  devotional  tendencies  of  the  Formularies  of  the 
Church,  we  will  allude  to  one  only  in  this  place — the 
order-  of  subjects  presented  in  the  annual  course  of  the 
Ritual.  If  any  arrangement  might  inflame  our  love 
for  our  Master,  and  quicken  us  to  newness  of  life, 
this  may  be  depended  on  for  the  purpose.* 

the  temples  of  the  crucified.  Loud  be  its  seraphic  strains.  Mighty  its  swel- 
ling chorus.  Eternal  the  angelic  hymn,  Gloria  in  excelsis  Deo,  Glory  be 
TO  God  on  high  '."—The  Rev.  TVm.  Stau7iton's  "  Church  Dictionary."  Jlrt. 
Liturgy,  p.  320. 

*"The  whole  year  is  distinguished  into  two  parts  ;  the  one  to  commemo- 
rate Christ's  living  liere  on  earth,  and  the  other  to  direct  us  to  live  after  his 
example.  For  the  first  are  all  the  Sundays  appointed,  fiom  Advent  to  Trini- 
ty Sunday  ;  for  the  second,  all  the  Sundays  from  Trinity  to  Advent  again. 
And  because  the  first  part  is  conversant  about  the  life  of  Christ,  and  the 
mysteries  of  his  divine  dispensation,  therefore,  beginning  at  advent,  is  the 
memory  of  his  incarnation  celebrated  ;  and  after  that,  his  nativity ;  then 
his  circumcision ;  his  manifestation  to  the  Gentiles;  his  doctrine;  his 
miracles;  his  passion  ;  his  burial;  his  resurrection  ;  his  sending' of  the 
Holy  Ghost;  all  in  the  most  perfect  order :  in  all  which  we  see  the  whole 
Btory  and  course  of  our  Saviour  in  manifesting  himself  and  his  divine  mys- 
teries to  the  world.  'J'he  second  part,  which  contains  all  the  Sundays  after 
Trinity  till  Advent,  being  for  our  guidance  during  our  pilgrimage  in  this 
world,  hath  such  Gospels  in  order  appointed,  as  may  most  easily  and  plainly 
lead  us  in  the  true  paths  of  Christianity  ;  that  those,  which  are  regenerated 
by  Christ,  and  initiated  into  his  faith,  may  know  what  virtues  to  follow,  and 
what  vices  to  eschew.  Thus,  in  the  first  part,  we  are  to  learn  the  myste- 
ries of  the  Christian  Religion  ;  and  in  the  second,  tn practice  that  which  is 
agreeable  to  the  same.  For  so  it  behoves  us,  not  only  to  know  that  we  have 
no  other  foundation  of  our  religion,  but  Christ  Jesus,  born,  and  crucified,  and 
risen  for  us ;  but  also  to  build  upon  this  foundation,  such  a  life  as  he  requires 
of  us."  Bishop  Overall,  quoted  in  Bishop  BrownelVs  Family  Prayer  Book, 
p.  84. 

"  '  While  we  are  upon  this  subject,  allow  me  to  enquire,'  said  Mr.  R , 

'upon  what  ground  the  Episcopal  Church  observes  the  Saints'  days,  and  nu- 
merous other  festivals,  such  as  Christmas,  &c  :  the  Romish  Church,  you 
know,  makes  much  of  these.' 

•  It  is  true,'  was  the  reply  ;  '  and  the  Romish  Cliurch  also  makes  much  of 
Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.    But  this  is  no  reason  why  we  should  re- 


THK     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.       215 

It  is  proper  to  point  to  the  many  sincere  and  exem- 
plary Christians,  who  have  been  trained  up  under  the 

ject  those  ordinances.    The  observances,  to  which  you  refer,  we  adopt  sole- 
ly on  the  ground  of  expediency.     We  do  not  tliink  that  Christ  enjoined 
them,  or  that  all  Christians  are  bound  to  adopt  them.     In  like  manner  we  do 
hot  think  that  Christ  enjoined  the  observance  of  the  first  Monday  evening  in 
each  month  as  a  season  of  prayer  for  Missions,  nor  that  all  Christians  are 
necessarily  bound  so  to  observe  it.    But  we  do  think  that  it  is  very  pleasant, 
and  proper,  and  profitable,  to  spend  the  first  Monday  evening  of  each  month 
in  this  way— and  that  those  Christians  who  do  so  will  find  it  truly  a  season 
of  refreshing  from  the  Lord.    So  also  we  think  it  pleasant,  and  proper,  and 
profitable,  to  observe  those  Christian  festivals  to  which  you  have  referred , 
and  that  a  blessing  will  not  fail  to  rest  upon  those  who  engage  in  those  ap- 
propriate religious  exercises  with  aright  spirit.    No  possible  objection  can 
be  made  to  our  observance  of  the  Saints'  days ;  since  we  admit  into  the  cal- 
endar the  names  of  those  only,  whose  history  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  recorded 
in  the  sacred  volume  for  our  instruction.    The  Church  observes  these  days 
for  the  same  reason  Uiat  memoirs  are  written,  of  good,  and  great,  and  distin- 
guished men.  Who  is  there  that  docs  not  regard  the  biography  of  such  men 
asPayson,  and  Brainard,  and  Martyn,  and  Legh  Richmond,  as  a  great  bless- 
ing to  the  world  ?    These  memoirs  have  done  a  vast  deal  for  the  cause  of 
Christ.    But  surely  Peter,  and  John,  and  Paul,  in  point  of  holiness  and  self- 
sacrifice,  werenot  inferior  to  Payson,  and  Brainard,  and  Martyn.    And  are 
hot  the  lives  of  Peter  and  John,  and  Paul,  then,  worth  contemplating  1    Is 
It  not  proper  that  the  ministers  of  the  Church  should,  at  least  once  a  year, 
Call  the  attention  of  the  people  to  the  contemplation  of  the  holy  lives,  and 
exalted  piety  of  those  first  heralds  of  the  cross,  who  did  not  count  any  sac- 
rifices toogreat,  so  that  they  could  but  make  known  to  a  perishing  world' the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ "?'     The  other  festivals  and  fasts,  to  which  you 
refer,  commemorate  some  event  connected  with  the  birth,  life,  or  mediatorial 
iBork  of  Christ,  thus  furnishing  aft  opportunity  upon  which  to  inculcate 
severally,  and  with  increased  effect,  the  great  doctrines  of  the  cross.    Long 
experience  has  convinced  us  of  the  expediency  of  setting  apart  particular 
days,  in  which  to  contemplate  the  cardinal  facts  connected  with  the  history 
of  man's  redemption.    These  annual  commemorations  are  attended  with 
signal  benefit.    They  make  us  more  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  promi- 
nent and  most  interesting  Gospel  facts,  and  impress  the  remembrance  of 
them  more  vividly  upon  our  minds.     By  this  arrangement  we  are  sure  to 
have  the  great  truths  of  salvation  every  year  systematically  brought  up  be- 
fore lis.     This  is  a  very  important  consideration.    As  year  after  year,  we 
contemplate,  on  Christmas,  the  incarnation  of  the  son  of  God,  with  the  kin- 
dred truths  that  stand  connected  with  it;  and  on 'E\}v^l\a.ny ,  his  manifesto,- 


216     tHE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURClt. 

influences  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  as 
evidences  of  the  fitness  of  the  system  of  this  Church 
to    promote   spirituality.*     To    say  nothing  of  "  the 

tion  to  the  Gentiles,  and  are  thus  led  to  pray  over  a  dying  world,  that  '  the 
heathen  may  be  given  to  him  for  an  inheritance,  and  the  utmost  parts  of  the 
earth  for  his  possession' — then  on  Good  l-'riday,  as  we  contemplate  his  bitter 
suffering's  and  death — on  Easter,  his  resurrection  from  the  tomb — on  Ascen- 
sion day,  his  ascent  from  the  top  of  Olivet  to  '  the  right  hand  of  God  where 
he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us' — on  Whitsunday,  the  descent  of 
the  Holy  Spirilla  revive,  refresh,  enlighten,  and  sanctify  our  hearts: — and 
finally,  on  Trinity  Sunday,  the  sublime  and  glorious  mystery  of  the '  three 
that  bear  record  in  heaven,  the  Father,  the  Word,  and  tlie  Holy  Ghost, 
which  three  are  one,' — 1  say,  as  from  year  to  year,  particular  days  bring  up 
the  consideration  of  these  great  fundamental  truths,  we  find  our  faith  in- 
vigorated, our  love  to  the  Redeemer  increased,  our  knowledge  enlarged  and 
our  souls  refreshed.'  " — Walk  about  Sion,  p.  318 — 3iJl. 

»  "  And  here  we  must  not  omit  to  mention  the  ohligsitions,  which  all 
Protestant  Churches  are  under,  to  the  learned  and  pious  members  of  our 
communion.  For  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures,  now  in  common  use, 
we  are  indebted  to  Episcopalians;  This  '  most  wonderful  and  incompara- 
ble work'  was  the  joint  labor  of  the  most  distinguished  divines  of  the  Eng- 
lish Church.  That  Church,  too,  has  ever  been  considered  as  '  the  bulwark 
of  the  Reformation.'  The  first  martyr  to  that  glorious  cause  was  Rogers, 
an  Episcopal  divine,  and  after  him,  Cranmer,  and  Latimer  and  Ridley,  and 
Hooper, — all  of  them  Bishops  distinguished  for  piety  and  learning — were 
called  upon  to  lay  down  their  lives  in  defence  of  the  same  holy  principles. 
Of  divines  of  later  days,  who  have  come  forth  in  defence  of  the  doctrines 
and  institutions  of  our  Church,  wc  might  name  a  Jewell,  a  Burnet,  a  Bar- 
row, a  Bull,  a  Taylor,  a  Pearson,  a  Chillingworth,  a  W^arburton  and  a  Hors- 
ley  ;  and  we  might  well  say  in  respect  of  them — 'There  were  giants  in  the 
earth  in  those  days.'  But  the  time  would  fail  us  to  tell  of  her  Tillotsons,  and 
her  Leightons,  her  Halls,  and  her  Wilsons  ;  or  to  speak  of  Usher,  and  Stan- 
hope, and  Stillingfleot,  and  Jones  and  Seeker,  atid  Porteus,  and  Butler,  and 
Paley,  and  Magee,  and  Home  ; — men  whose  praise  is  in  all  the  Churches. 

Of  illustrious  Laymen,  wo  can  boast  of  a  Locke,  a  Boyle,  a  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  an  Addison,  and  a  Johnson,  a  Lord  Littleton,  a  Sir  William  Jonesj 
a  Lord  Chief  Justice  Hale,— and,  in  our  own  country,  a  Washington,  a  John 
Jay,  a  Chief  Justice  Marshall ;— men  distinguished  not  less  for  their  piety 
and  virtue,  than  for  their  pre-eminent  talents  ; — men  '  whose  lives  and  writ- 
ings will  continue  to  enlighten  and  improve  mankind,  so  long  as  the  art  of 
printing  shall  perpetuate  thein,'    And  surely  these  men  of  mighty  minds, 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.  217 

noble  army  of  martyrs"  of  the  Protestant  Reforma- 
tion, the  mention  of  such  names  as  Walton,  and  Ken, 
and  Herbert,  and  Hooker,  and  Leighton,  and  Venn, 
and  Newton  and  Simeon,  and  the  Wesleys,  and  Whit- 
field, (for  these  last  were  taught  their  devotion  in  the 
Church)  and  Heber,  and  Martyn,  and  Buchanan,  and 
Thomason,  and,  in  our  own  land,  of  the  venerable 
White,  and  of  Hobart,  and  Ravenscroft,  and  Bedell, 
and  of  the  early  lost,  and  tenderly  mourned,  the  Eng- 
lish Henry  Kirke  White,  and  his  compeers,  Lyde, 
and  Winslow,  amongst  ourselves,  will  furnish  a  suffi- 
cient illustration. 

We  have  spoken  of  Religious  devotion,  as  distinct 
from  Religious  action  ;  and  the  distinction  is  manifest. 

who  applied  their  utmost  powers  to  tlie  investigation  of  religious  truth  ;  may 
well  serve  to  strengthen  our  confidence  in  the  purity  and  soundness  of  a 
Church  to  which  they  were  the  ornament  and  support,  and  in  the  commun- 
ion of  which  they  lived  and  died. 

Of  laborers  in  the  Missionary  field,  who  have  taken  their  lives  in  their 
hand,  and  gone  forth  with  apostolic  zeal,  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture, what  names  stand  higher  tlian  Swartz,  and  Middleton,  and  Heber,  and 
Henry  Martyn  1 

As  writers  of  practical  devotion,  who  are  more  read  than  Thomas  Scott, 
and  John  Newton,  and  Legh  Richmond,  and  William  Wilberforce,  and  Han- 
nah More  ■? 

Or  where  Will  you  look  for  works  of  more  fervent  piety — works  that  have 
been  oftencr  blessed  to  the  conversion  of  sinners,  and  tlie  Instruction  and 
comfort  of  Christians — than  Law's  Serious  Call,  Beveridge's  Private 
Thoughts,  Scott's  Christian  Life,  Sherlock  on  Death  and  Judgment,  Wilson's 
Private  Meditations,  Nelson's  Practice  of  true  Devotion,  and  Bishop  Taylor's 
Holy  Living  and  Holy  Dying  1  Very  many  other  works  of  a  kindred  spirit 
and  character,  to  be  found  in  the  closet  and  sick  room  of  almost  every  Chris- 
tian, of  every  name  and  nation,  might  be  mentioned;  but  they  will  readily 
occur  to  every  pious  reader's  mind. 

These  are  indeed  the  precious  fruits  of  piety,  borv,  nourished,  and  perfect 
ed — so  far  as  any  thing  human  can  he  perfect — in  the  Episcopal  Church"— 
Dorr^s  Churchman's  Manual,  p.  278 — 280. 
19 


218       THE      COMPnEIIENSlVE      CHURCH. 

Now  we  contend,   that    the  system  of  worship  in  the 
non-Episcopal  churches  of  our  country  is  not  adapted 
to  foster  devotion ;   and  the  devotion  feh  in  the  hearts 
of  the  members  of  these  churches  (and  there  is  much 
of  it,  be  it  spoken  to  their  praise)  is  attributable  to  oth- 
er causes  not  provided  in  their  regular   ecclesiastical 
systems.     And  the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  is  contradistinguished  from   these  other  sys- 
tems, by  the  fact  that  it  provides   directly  for  the  fur- 
therance of  devotion,  and  that  this  result,  so  far  as  it 
has  been  accomplished    among   the   Episcopalians  of 
our  country,  is   owing    manifestly  to  the   working  of 
the  system,  even  in  the  face  of  powerful  counteracting 
causes  connected  with  the  history  and  progress  of  the 
Protestant    Episcopal    Church  in  the    United  States. 
The  tendency  of  other  systems,  while  they  allow  Reli- 
gious action,  is,  in   connection  with  the  spirit  of  the 
age,  to  discourage,  or  at  least  restrain   unduly   Reli- 
gious devotion.     The  system  of  the  Pi'otestant  Epis- 
copal Church  provides   especially  for  the   increase  of 
devotion,   while  at  the  same  time  it   furnishes   to  its 
members  every  encouragement  to  the  most  energetic 
action.     We  are  only  able  here  to  hint  at  the  distinc- 
tion above  stated.     The  point  to  which  we  call  atten- 
tion is  this — that  the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church  nourishes  Religious  devotion.* 

*  Within  a  few  montlis,  a  pious  and  intelligent  minister  of  a  dissenting 
denomination  said  to  the  writer,  substantially  as  follows :  "  The  reason  why 
so  many  in  the  professedly  religious  community  are  not  disposed  to  approve, 
or  do  not  like  to  attend  your  Church  service,  is,  that  your  service  is  too  devo- 
tional ;  the  present  is  an  undevotional  age."  He  is  in  tlie  main  correct. 
There  ought  to  be  over  all  our  land  more  of  heart-warship,  as  well  as  i  itel- 
lectual  and  personal  activity. 


THE  COMPREnENSIVE  CHURCH.    219 

We  will  now  consider  the  other  topic. 

II.  Religious  Action. — The  reader  is  requested 
to  bear  in  mind  what  was  said,  in  the  last  two  Sections, 
on  the  liberty  and  the  adapliveness  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.  Let  him  consider  those  charac- 
teristics, as  therein  exemplified,  in  connexion  with  the 
stated  and  elevated  devotional  arrangements  of  the 
Church;  and  he  will  perceive  that  there  is  the  largest 
scope  and  encouragement  for  Religious  action.  In- 
deed, the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is,  in  its  si/s- 
tcm,  the  Revival  Church  of  our  country.. 

Look  at  the  variety  and  at  the  same  time  the  unity 
or  harmony  of  Evangelical  subjects  continually  pre- 
sented in  the  annual  course  of  the  Ritual — Ascen- 
sion, and  Whitsunday,  and  Trinity,  and  Christmas, 
and  Epiphany,  and  Lent,  and  the  solemn  Passion- 
Week,  wherein,  in  daily  services  (what  would  be  call- 
ed, in  the  language  of  the  time,  an  annual  protracted 
meeting),  we  contemplate  tlie  tenderness  and  love, 
the  sufferings,  the  judicial  trials,  and  the  bloody  sweat, 
and  the  crucifixion  and  burial  of  our  Lord,  and  final- 
ly, the  glorious  Easter — the  festival  of  the  Resurrec- 
tion of  Christ,  and  how  much  there  is  continually 
presented  to  quicken  the  pious  and  convert  the  care- 
less !  Look,  then,  at  the  liberty  of  the  Church  which 
allows  the  employment  of  so  many  and  various  co-op- 
erant  instrumentalities  to  arouse  and  edify.  And  look 
at  the  adaptiveness  of  the  Church,  which  carries  it 
and  its  Gospel  message  to  every  class,  and  condition, 
and  age,  and  to  every  heart.  It  is  manifest  that  here 
is  a  system  formed,  which  needs  only  to  be  used  to 


220   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

effect  unrivaled  results  for  the  honor  of  the  Master. 
There  is  no  Ecclesiastical  system  extant  which  in  it- 
self provides  legitimately  and  directly  for  a  constant 
and  orderly  succession  of  revivals  over  the  whole 
country  except  this.  Individuals  and  many  societies 
of  other  denominations  have  been  active  in  revivals, 
under  some  special  or  occasional  arrangements;  but 
tlie  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is  preeminently  and 
singularly,  in  its  system,  the  Revival  Church  of 
the  United  States.*^ 

*There  is  a  passage  in  one  of  the  vvritinfisof  tlie  Rev.  Albert  Barnes,  the 
distinguished  Presbyterian  clergyman  of  Philadelphia,  suggested  by  the 
above  observations  which  we  cannot  forbear  to  quote.  It  will  be  found  in 
the  concluding  paragraphs  of  what  Bishop  Onderdonk  of  Pennsylvania 
has  called  "  a  truly  elecant  and  courteous  tribute  to  the  Episcopal  Church 
—a  truly  splendid  eulogium  on  our  Church — and  one  which  does  credit  to 
the  candor,  liie  benevolence,  the  superiority  to  prejudice,  of  the  elevated 
mind  that  conceived  it,  and  the  honorable  frankness  which  gave  it  public 
utterance."  The  whole  eulogiura  is  as  follows :  "  We  associate  it  (Episco- 
pacy) with  the  brightest  and  happiest  days  of  religion,  and  liberty,  and  lite- 
rature, and  law.  We  remember  that  it  was  under  the  Episcopacy  that  the 
Church  in  England  took  ils  firm  stand  against  the  Papacy ;  and  that  this 
was  its  form  when  Zion  rose  to  light  and  splendor,  from  the  dark  night  of 
ages.  We  remember  the  name  of  Cranmer, — Cranmcr,  first,  in  many  re- 
spects, among  the  Reformers ;  tliat  it  was  by  his  steady  and  unerring  hand, 
that,  under  God,  the  pure  Church  of  the  Saviour  was  conducted  through 
the  agitating  and  distressing  times  of  Henry  VHI.  We  remember  that 
God  watched  over  that  wonderful  man  ;  that  he  gave  this  distinguished  pre- 
late access  to  the  heart  of  one  of  the  most  capricious,  cruel,  inexorable, 
blood-thirsty,  and  licentious  monarchs  that  has  disgraced  the  world  ;  that 
God,  for  the  sake  of  Cranmer,  and  his  Church,  conducted  Henry,  as  '  by  a 
hook  in  the  nose,'  and  made  him  faithful  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
when  faithful  to  none  else ;  so  that,  perhaps,  the  only  redeeming  trait  in  the 
character  of  Henry  is  his  fidelity  to  this  first  British  prelate  under  the  Re- 
formation. The  world  will  not  soon  forget  the  names  of  Latimer,  and  Rid- 
ley, and  Rodgers,  and  Bradford  ;  names  associated,  in  tlie  feelings  of  Chris- 
tians, with  the  long  list  of  ancient  confessors  '  of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy,'  and  who  did  honor  to  entire  ages  of  mankind,  by  sealing  their  at- 
tachment to  the  Son  of  God  on  the  rack,  or  amid  the  flames.  Nor  can  we 
forget  that  we  owe  to  Episcopacy  that  which  fills  our  minds  with  grati- 
tude and  praise,  when  we  look  for  examples  of  consecrated  talent,  and  ele- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.        221 

The  actual  working  of  the  system,  where  it  has 
been  faithfully  carried  out,  agrees  with  our  statements. 

There  are  scores  of  Protestant  Episcopal  Churches 
in  our  country  which  have  for  years  been  blessed  with 
a  continual  revival  of  religion,   and  in  which  hardly 

gant  literature,  and  humble  devoted  piety.  While  men  honor  elevated 
Christian  feeling  ;  while  they  revere  sowml  learning  ;  while  they  render 
tribute  to  clear  and  profound  reasoning,  they  will  not  forget  the  names  of 
Barrow  and  Taylor,  of  Tillotson,  and  Hooker,  and  Butler  ; — and  when  they 
think  of  humble,  pure,  sweet,  heavenly  piety,  their  minds  will  recur  in- 
stinctively to  the  name  of  Leighton.  Such  names,  with  a  host  of  others, 
do  honor  to  the  world.  When  we  think  of  them,  we  have  it  not  in  our 
hearts  to  utter  one  word  against  a  Church  which  has  thus  done  honor  to 
our  race,  and  to  our  common  Christianity. 

Such  we  wish  Episcopacy  still  to  be.  We  have  always  thought  that 
there  are  Christian  minds  and  hearts  that  would  find  more  edification  in 
the  forms  of  worship  in  that  Church  than  in  any  other.  We  regard  it  as 
adapted  to  call  forth  Christian  energy,  tliat  might  otherwise  be  dormant. 

We  have  never  doubted  that  many  of  the  purest  fiames  of 

devotion  that  rise  from  the  earth,  ascend  from  the  altars  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  that  many  of  the  purest  spirits  that  the  earth  contains, 
minister  at  those  altars,  or  breathe  forth  their  prayers  and  praises  in  lan- 
guage consecrated  by  the  use  of  piety  for  centuries. 

We  liave  but  one  wish  in  regard  to  Episcopacy We  wish  her 

to  fall  in  with,  or  to  go  in  advance  of,  others,  in  the  spirit  of  the  age.  Our 
desire  is  that  she  may  become  throughout, — as  we  rejoice  she  is  increasingly 
becoming, — the  warm,  devoted  friend  of  revivals  and  missionary  operations.  • 
She  is  consolidated  ;  well  marsliallcd  ;  under  an  ethcicnt  system  of  laws  ; 
and  preeminently  fitted  for  powerful  action  in  the  field  of  Christian  war- 
fare. We  desire  to  see  her,  what  the  Macedonian  phalan.v  was  in  the  an- 
cient army  ;  with  her  dense,  solid  organization,  with  her  unity  of  move- 
ment, with  her  power  of  maintaining  tlie  position  which  she  takes;  and 
with  her  eminent  ability  to  advance  the  cause  of  sacred  learning,  and  the 
love  of  order  and  of  law,  attending  or  leading  all  other  Churches  in  the 
conquests  of  redemption  in  an  alienated  world.  We  would  even  rejoice  to 
see  her  wlio  was  first  in  the  field  at  the  Reformation  in  England,  first,  also, 
in  the  field,  when  the  Son  of  God  shall  come  to  take  to  himself  his  great 
power ;  and  whatever  positions  may  be  assigned  to  other  denominations,  we 
have  no  doubt  that  the  Episcopal  Church  is  destined  yet  to  be,  throughout, 
the  warm  friend  of  revivals,  and  to  consecrate  her  wealth  and  power  to  the 
work  of  making  a  perpetual  aggression  on  the  territories  of  sin  and  of 
death."  Christian  Spectator,  Vol.  Q.  See  ah o  '^  Episcopacy  examined  and 
rerexaviincd"  JVcio  York,  Protestant  Episcopal  Tract  Society.'"  p.  89 — 91. 
19* 


222      THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

a  month  elapses  without  some  new  accessions  to  the 
list  of  the  confirmed  and  of  the  communicants.  And 
each  successive  year  is  developing  more  clearly  and 
encouragingly  this  peculiar  tendency  of  the  system. 
It  is  our  purpose  to  be  concise.  We  leave  it  to  our 
Christian  brethren,  whether  or  not  they  can  agree  to 
love  and  to  sustain  such  a  Church  as  has  been  here 
described. 

SECT!  o'n      XXI. 

COMPREHENSIVE   TRAITS. 

If  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  be  the  Comprehensive  Church,  it  be- 
comes the  duty  of  all  Christians  to  unite  themselves  with  it — extent  of 
this  duty — a  recapitulation  of  the  various  comprehensive  traits  elucidated 
in  the  preceding  Sections — the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  proved  to  be 
the  Comprehensive  Church — the  only  Church  founded  successfully  and 
completely  upon  the  maxim  of  the  priniilive  and  Apostolical  Church — 
there  are  {exv  even  of  its  own  members  who  understand  its  comprehen- 
siveness— this  Church  not  originated  by  human  wisdom  or  accident — it 
is  a  system  provided  by  the  gracious  providence  of  the  Lord,  for  the  Chris- 
tian and  Ecclesiastical  unity  of  all  His  disciples. 

We  hold  it  to  be  an  axiom,  that  if  the  Protestant 
Episcopal!  Church  be  the  Comprehensive  Church, 
that  is,  if  it  have  within  its  system  all  the  particulars 
which  are  held  essential,  not  only  by  all  Christian 
Denominations  jointly,  but  also  by  each  distinctively, 
and  if  there  be  no  other  system  in  our  country  equal- 
ly comprehensive,  thc?i  it  is  the  boundcn  duty  of  all 
Christians,  icho  love  their  Lord,  and  wish  to  keep  his 
commandment  of  unity,  to  unite  themselves  at  once, 
even  if  it  he  at  some  personal  sacrifice,  with  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church. 

And  one  or  both  of  two  things  is  required  of  every 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.      223 

one,  who  would,  with  a  good  conscience,  avoid  uni- 
ting himself  with  this  Church — either,  he  must  dis- 
prove what  we  have  just  laid  down  as  an  axiom,  that  is, 
disprove  the  importance  of  oheying  his  Lord's  com- 
mand, when  he  has  it  in  his  power  to  do  so  ;  or  else 
he  must  prove  that  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is 
not  the  Comprehensive  Church. 

It  will  not  be  enough  for  him  even  to  prove,  that 
he  is  in  a  Church,  which  has  a  valid  ministry  and  val- 
id sacraments,  and  in  which  he  himself  is  perfectly 
satisfied.  He  must  prove,  that  his  Church  is  com- 
prehensive, and  capable  of  receiving  all  sincere  disci- 
ples of  his  Lord,  whatever  their  diversities  of  opinion 
and  customs ;  or  else  his  Church  has  not  the  charac- 
teristics of  Christ's  one  Church  adapted  to  all  His 
disciples  ;  and  he  is  therefore  bound  to  leave  it  as  a 
defective  and  so  far  a  corrupted  Church,  if  indeed 
he  may  find  the  one  Comprehensive  System  elsewhere. 

In  summing  up  the  characteristics  of  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church,  we  shall  merely  recapitulate 
some  of  the  main  thoughts  suggested  in  the  prece- 
ding Sections. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States,  while  it  is  at  unity  with  the  Ancient  and  Apos- 
tolical Church,  is,  at  the  same  time,  purely  an  Amer- 
ican Church,  and,  therefore,  is  entitled  to  the  sympa- 
thies of  all  American  Christians. 

Its  members  are  classed,  necessarily,  just  as  they 
are  in  every  Protestant  Church ;  and  this  fact  recom- 
mends it  to  the  members  of  all  other  Churches,  as  a 


224     THE      COMrnEIIENSIVE      CHURCH. 

medium  of  unity,  having,  in  this  particular,  a  quality 
common  to  them  all. 

Its  territorial  divisions,  while  prepared  for  its  uni- 
versal extension,  are  yet  perfectly  simple,  and  afford 
the  most  desirable  facilities  for  the  external  union  of 
all  Christians. 

Its  laws  and  government  are  such  that  every  one  of 
its  members  is  represented  in  them,  and  has  a  power 
of  control  over  them ;  and  they  are  constituted  upon 
such  equitable  and  truly  republican  principles,  as  to 
endear  the  Church  to  every  Christian,  who  loves  the 
free  and  righteous  principles  upon  which  our  political 
institutions  are  ordered. 

Its  ministry  is  such  that  every  conceivable  and  use- 
ful mode  of  clerical  influence  may  be  exerted  ;  while 
every  minister,  in  every  degree,  is  directly  responsible 
to  the  Church  for  his  faithfulness  and  obedience  to 
its  laws.  Its  ministry  meets  exactly  the  wishes  of  ev- 
ery Christian  of  every  denomination  in  our  land. 

Its  sacraments  are  free  to  all  true  disciples  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  without  regard  to  their  differences 
in  the  interpretation  of  difficult  passages  of  Scripture 
or  in  their  abstract  systems  of  Theological  and  Philo- 
sophical doctrine.  In  this  fact  it  welcomes  all  to  one 
communion  and  fellowship. 

Its  creeds,  although  explicit,  are  never  oppressive  ; 
and  its  doctrines  and  preaching  are  scriptural  and 
practical ;  so  that  on  these  subjects  its  system  tends  to 
concord. 

Its  discipline  is  severe  against  manifest  sin,  but  it 
is  patient  towards  human  infirmity,   "  having  mercy 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       225 

and  not  sacrifice,"  "  desiring  not  the  death  of  the  sin- 
ner but  rather  that  the  sinner  turn  unto  God  and  be 
saved ;"  so  tliat  in  this  it  is  sure  of  the  approval  of 
all  who  are  like  their  Father  in  heaven  and  who  have 
the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  his  only  Son. 

Its  modes  of  public  worship,  while  they  seek  to  en- 
courage solemnity  and  the  spirit  of  devotion  and  pray- 
er, are  yet  always  accommodated  to  the  spiritual  wants 
and  the  Christian  judgment  of  its  members  ;  so  that 
all  Christians,  who  unite  themselves  with  it,  do  have 
it  in  their  power  to  worship  God,  according  to  the 
dictates  of  their  own  consciences,  and  the  necessi- 
ties of  their  own  hearts. 

Its  laity  are  fully  and  effectually  represented  in  all 
the  regulations  and  action  of  the  Church,  and  have 
not  only  every  Right  which  they  have  in  other 
Churches,  but  also,  in  some  very  important  respects, 
more  Rights,  and  always  the  power  of  self-protec- 
tion. In  this  particular,  therefore,  the  Church  may 
expect  the  favor  of  all  Christian  laymen  in  our  coun- 
try. 

Its  arrangements  concerning  Baptism,  and  its  con- 
nexion of  the  Rite  of  Confirmation  with  that  ordi- 
nance, furnish,  what  in  no  other  Church  has  been 
done,  the  means  of  uniting,  on  a  basis  of  harmony, 
all  Christian  people,  who,  in  other  denominations,  are 
so  widely  at  variance  on  this  subject  of  the  time  and 
mode  of  Baptism. 

Its  views  of  the  Lord's  Supper  agree,  substantially, 
with  those  of  other  Churches,  while  its  terms  of  ad- 
mission are  more  liberal  than  those  of  most  others ; 


226      THE      COMPUEIIENSIVn      CHURCH. 

and  thus  it  is  able  to  combine  and  associate  them  all 
around  one  table  of  mutual  charity. 

It  furnishes  opportunities  for  the  exercise  of  every 
benevolent  affection  ;  it  cultivates  literature  and  labors 
for  Christian  education  ;  and  it  is  pledged  wholly  and 
without  reserve  to  the  work  of  missions  in  all  the 
earth ;  so  that  all  Christians  must  admire  its  single- 
ness and  honest  devotion,  who  love  to  labor  for  the 
good  of  men,  and  to  fulfil  the  last  cliarge  of  the  as- 
cended Lord. 

It  tolerates  all  the  modes,  through  which  the  piety 
of  the  heart  would  find  outward  expression ;  and  it 
invites  to  its  protection  every  variety  of  temperament 
and  habit ;  so  that  all  may  join  themselves  unto  it, 
who  take  delight  in  the  worship  of  God. 

Finally,  it  is  capable  of  modifying  itself,  in  any  and 
in  every  possible  respect,  to  the  circumstances  of  so- 
ciety and  the  wants  of  men,  in  all  periods  of  time  ; 
so  that  it  is  able  to  unite  all  Christians  into  one  body 
and  to  be  the  Church  of  the  world. 

Now  we  enquire  :  Is  not  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States  entitled  peculiarly  to  the 
name  of  the  Comprehensive  Church?  Are  not  all  the 
essentials  of  a  Church  within  it,  and  all  the  essen- 
tials for  Christian  and  ecclesiastical  unity  ? 

The  writer  will  be  pardoned,  if  he  ventures  the 
remark,  that,  of  all  the  Ecclesiastical  systems,  which 
the  history  of  the  past  and  of  the  present  has  brought 
under  his  notice,  there  is  none,  which,  in  the  princi- 
ples of  its  organization,  has  carried  out  the  maxim 
upon  which  the  Primitive  and  Apostolical  Church  was 


THE     CORIPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.        227 

organized,  as  alluded  to  in  our  first  Chapter,  so  fear- 
lessly and  so  successfully,  as  that,  which  it  has  been 
the  design  of  the  foregoing  Sections  to  illustrate. 

Thanks  to  the  superintending  Spirit  and  Provi- 
dence of  God  ! 

And  alas !  that  so  few,  even  of  Episcopalians,  do 
understand  the  occasion  for  this  thanksgiving  ! 

We  further  enquire  :  Was  it  the  mere  wisdom  of 
men,  or  were  they  mere  circumstantial  and  happy  ac- 
cidents, which  have  fashioned  and  matured  this  Com- 
prehensive System  ?  Rather,  is  it  not  the  provision  of 
the  All-seeing  and  Gracious  Head  of  the  Church,  for 
bringing  together  again  into  "  One  Body"  His  scat- 
tered and  divided  disciples,  when  they  shall  have 
learned  the  evils  and  the  distresses  of  dissension,  and 
the  importance  of  his  own  new  commandment :  "  Love 
one  another,"  and  "  Be  one?" 


CHAPTER    X. 


Conclusion— moAo  in  whicli  our  subject  has  been  treated— the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  comprehensive — none  other  like  it — duty  of  uniting 
with  it— another  aspect  of  tliis  Church— enumeration  of  certain  princi- 
ples preliminary  to  the  exhibition  of  it— the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
a  platform  on  which  Christians  may  meet  and  perfect  a  plan  of  unity— 
this  proved— the  means  of  unity  are  provided  if  Christians  will  use  them 
—the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  capable  of  infinite  modification— in- 
vites all  Christians  to  unite  in  it  and  modify  it  as  they  please— objection 
answered— the  system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  further  open- 
ed—a beautiful  and  grand  scheme— argument  concluded— sin  of  neglj- 


228      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

gence  on  this  subject — a  call  to  unity — true  unity — deprecation  of  false 
unity — advantages  of  true  unity— call  upon  the  laity — call  upon  the  cler- 
gy,— necessity  of  effort  and  of  self-denial  in  the  matter— these  the  evi- 
dences of  Christian  character — our  plan  submitted  to  the  candid  judg- 
ment and  honest  decisions  of  the  Christian  public. 

We  have  been  looking  at  the  System  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church  as  it  is.  We  have  desired 
to  divest  ourselves  of  all  the  associations  of  the  past, 
as  we  have  desired  our  readers  to  do  ;  and  have  look- 
ed at  this  Church  as  an  existing  system,  just  as  we 
should  look  at  it,  if  it  had  been  broached  for  the  first 
time  in  the  course  of  the  present  year,  or  as  though 
we  were  suggesting  in  these  pages  the  outline  of  a 
new  Ecclesiastical  Scheme,  as  though  we  were  pro- 
posing a  new  organization  for  the  promotion  of  Chris- 
tian unity. 

We  enquire  now  respectfully :  Are  not  the  ele- 
ments of  concord  in  this  Church?  Are  not  those 
points  which  are  held  chiefly  important  by  the  seve- 
ral denominations  in  our  country  all  included  already 
in  the  system  of  this  Church  ?  Does  not  this  Church 
blend  into  one  harmonious  arrangement  the  "  distinc- 
tive peculiarities"  of  the  several  denominations 
amongst  us  ?  We  ask  our  readers  :  Can  you  not  re- 
cognize in  this  Church,  distinctly  maintained,  the 
very  points  to  which  you,  as  members  of  some  par- 
ticular denominations,  have  respectively  given  chief 
prominence  ?  Can  you  find  similar  characteristics  in 
any  other  of  the  numerous  models  of  the  Church 
which  have  been  constructed  by  the  wisdom  of  those 
who  at  any  time  have  separated  from  the  one  old 
Church  to  form  new  Churches  ? 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         229 

Then  we  again  enquire  respectfully  :  Ought  you 
not  all  to  come  together  and  heal  your  divisions  with- 
in the  unity  of  this  Church,  whose  outline  has  been 
presented  ?  ^Brethren,  we  ask  you  as  humble-hearted 
Christians,  who  love  to  do  your  duty  at  all  times,  and 
who  do  daily  "  bear  the  cross"  while  you  follow 
Christ.  Answer  us  in  the  spirit  of  meek  and  self-de- 
nying disciples  of  Him,  who  prayed  for  you  and  for 
us  in  these  words  :  "  Holy  Father,  I  pray  that  they 
all  may  be  one,  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou 
hast  sent  me." 

There  is,  however,  another  aspect  of  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church,  to  which  your  attention  is  so- 
licited. 

In  order  to  present  clearly  the  aspect  referred  to, 
the  reader  must  be  reminded  of  one  or  two  prelimina- 
ry principles.  These  principles  are  the  following : 
That  Christians  wish  to  be  united — that  they  must  be 
united  in  some  one  Comprehensive  Church — that,  in 
order  to  be  thus  united,  they  must  come  together  on 
some  common  platform,  where  they  may  discuss  their 
differences,  and  compare  opinions,  and  suggest  recip- 
rocal compromises,  and  finally  agree  upon  some 
scheme  of  unity,  to  which  all  shall  be  pledged  to  ad- 
here— that  when  they  shall  have  finally  agreed  upon 
such  scheme  of  unity,  they  must  make  further  ar- 
rangements, by  which  they  may  come  together  at  sta- 
ted periods,  perhaps  year  after  year,  continually,  and 
change  and  modify  that  scheme  (still  maintaining  uni- 
ty) to  meet  the  various  changes  and  modifications  of 
human  society. 

20 


230         THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

These  principles  being  acknowledged  correct,  we 
say,  that,  if  they  were  carried  out  (as  they  ought  to 
be)  they  would  eventuate  in  the  construction  of  ex- 
actly such  a  system  as  that  of  the  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church — the  scheme  of  unity  would  be  the  coun- 
terpart of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  This  is 
the  other  aspect  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
to  which  we  just  now  alluded. 

Granting  for  the  occasion,  that  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  is  not  now  in  every  respect  just  the 
system  which  the  several  denominations  when  united 
might  desire,  it  is,  nevertheless,  exactly  the  'platform 
upon  which  they  all  may  meet  and  arrange  such  a  sys- 
tem as  they  would  desire.  It  is  the  living  agent,  which 
will,  at  their  bidding,  work  out  for  them  precisely  their 
ideal  of  unity.  It  is  a  beautiful  and  perfect  organum 
(to  many  doubtless  a  novum  organum  in  this  applica- 
tion of  it)  whose  machinery  can  accomplish  any  re- 
sult. Let  them  put  their  hand  to  its  machinery,  let 
them  enter  the  building  which  encloses  it  and  whose 
doors  are  thrown  wide|open  and  nailed  back  so  that 
they  cannot  close  again, Sand  there  let  them  superin- 
tend and  guide  its  operations,  and  they  may  have  what- 
soever product  they  may^please  to  have. 

We  refer  now  to  the  general  principles  of  Ecclesi- 
astical Government  unfoldedHn  the  last  Chapter. 
Let  all  the  parishes — the  newly  formed  as  well  as  the 
others — elect  men,  who  shall  represent  their  views  to 
the  Diocesan  Conventions,  where  are  free  discussions 
and  fair  [decisions.  Let  the  Diocesan  Conventions 
look  to  it  that  their  own  views  are  correctly  repre- 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.       231 

seuted  in  the  General  Convention.  Majorities  gov- 
ern— majorities  in  the  parishes,  in  the  Diocesan  Con- 
ventions, in  the  General  Convention — majorities  of 
the  whole  Church — majorities  of  the  Laity,  of  the 
Clergy,  of  the  Bishops.  When  such  majorities  wish 
for  change,  it  is  right  that  changes  occur.  Until  they 
do,  it  is  wise,  and  the  secret  of  unity,  that  the  minori- 
ty forbear. 

Is  it  not  manifest  that,  if  the  Christian  people  of 
our  land  wish  to  unite  into  some  comprehensive 
scheme  of  Ecclesiastical  unity  (without  which  there 
can  be  no  true  Christian  union),  they  can  accomplish 
their  object,  quietly,  and  certainly,  and  immediately, 
by  uniting  themselves  with  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church?  Are  not  instrumentalities  here  supplied  to 
their  hands,  by  which  they  may  triumphantly  effect 
their  wish  ? 

We  say  then  to  our  fellow-Christians  in  the  seve- 
ral denominations  :  "  Cast  in  your  lot  with  us."  We 
will  welcome  you  to  our  unity.  We  do  not  invite 
you  to  a  Church  in  which  you  must  be  cramped  and 
straitened  incessantly — but  to  a  pliant  Church — a 
•Church  capable  of  infinite  modification.  We  are  wil- 
ling to  amalgamate  with  you ;  only  let  the  wounds  of 
Christ's  body  be  healed,  only  let  us  become  one.  You 
may  outnumber  us  in  a  year  ;  you  may  have  the  con- 
trol in  our  parishes,  in  our  Diocesan  Conventions,  in 
our  General  Convention.  You  may  revise  and  rear- 
range our  laws.  Be  it  so !  We  are  willing  to  be 
melted  down  with  you,  in  our  own  crucible,  into  one 
jnass  of  Christian  love   and    fellowship.     Is   this  the 


232      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH, 

language  of  a  narrow,  and  arbritrary,  and  intolerant 
bigotry  1  Is  the  Church,  whose  entrance  is  so  wide, 
and  which  is  willing  to  be  moulded  by  any  influ- 
ence you  may  exert,  sectarian  or  contracted  in  its 
spirit  ?  Is  it  not  fitted  for  universality,  which  is  the 
collateral  principle  with  unity  ?  Like  some  spacious 
and  noble  ship,  she  can  take  in  all,  who  would  trust 
her  decks,  or  be  entertained  in  her  various  saloons, 
while  she  ever  moves  hither  and  thither,  true  to  the 
slightest  motions  of  her  helm,  and  while  her  broad 
canvass  bends  at  the  pressure  of  the  faintest  breeze, 
and  hurries  her  still  forward. 

If  it  should  seem  to  any,  that,  in  representing  the 
system  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  as  has 
been  done,  we  expose  a  weak  point  in  its  organiza- 
tion, we  develope  a  liberality  which  is  suicidal,  we 
shew  it  to  be  in  the  power  of  others  to  modify  it,  un- 
til its  essential  idea  shall  be  destroyed,  our  reply  is 
ready  :  That  which  seems  to  be  the  point  of  its  weak- 
ness is  the  very  hinge  of  its  strength ;  the  apparent 
defect  is,  on  closer  examination,  the  real  beauty. 
The  system  is  one  of  checks  and  balances,  not  artifi- 
cial but  natural,  and  therefore  invariable  in  their  op- 
eration. The  door  which  admits  one  man  of  a  cer- 
tain class  of  predilections,  admits  with  him  another 
man  of  perhaps  opposite  predilections ;  and  these 
men  must  harmonize.  Each  must  deny  himself  a  lit- 
tle, that  both  may  have  the  greater  liberty;  and  these 
men,  who,  if  they  had  remained  in  opposite  sects, 
would  have  been  bitter  adversaries,  become,  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  brothers.  So  would  it 
be  in  any  event. 


THE     C  0  i\I  P  R  E  11  E  N  S  1  V  E     CHURCH.       233 

Such  is  our  confidence  in  the  adaptation  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  to  the  common  wants  of 
the  many,  that  we  should  not  fear  any  essential 
change  in  its  system  from  any  accession  of  numbers. 
In  fact,  every  accession  of  numbers  would  confirm 
the  system  and  make  it  more  tenacious,  just  as  an  in- 
crease of  weight  gives  stability  to  the  mechanical 
arch.  We  are  confident,  that  if  all  the  members  of 
all  the  denominations  in  our  land  should  unite  with  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  to-morrow,  although 
there  might  be  a  thousand  changes  in  the  minute  de- 
tails of  the  system  (as  now  such  are  constantly  occur- 
ring) yet  there  would  be  no  change  of  any  of  its  es- 
sential features.  It  is  a  grand  scheme,  the  result,  not 
of  a  single  intellect  nor  of  a  single  age,  but  combin- 
ing the  conclusions  of  countless  minds,  and  framed 
upon  the  experience  of  many  ages,  and  based  upon 
the  philosophy  of  the  universal  heart. 

Our  argument,  we  think,  is  conclusive.  The  issue, 
as  appears  to  us,  admits  of  no  reply  nor  evasion  from 
any  who  acknowledge  the  necessity  of  a  comprehen- 
sive Church,  the  importance  of  Ecclesiastical  unity. 

We  can  conceive  of  but  one  mode  of  parrying  the 
application  of  the  argument.  There  may  be  multi- 
tudes, who  Vv-ill  say  :  '•  After  all,  it  is  no  matter  about 
this  outward  unity  ;  we  may  as  well  continue  separate, 
and  strive  each  to  do  what  he  can  for  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  salvation  of  souls."  But,  brethren,  why 
work  at  a  disadvantage  so  great,  so  entirely  unneces- 
sary, so  unconquerably  full  of  evil  ?  How  long  shall 
Christians  declare,  in  the  face  of  all  Scripture,  in  the 

20* 


234   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

face  of  all  experience,  in  the  face  of  all  true  philoso- 
phy of  the  mind  and  heart,  in  the  face  of  all  nature : 
"  Let  us  have  the  internal  unity,  it  is  no  matter  about 
the  outward" — when,  all  the  while,  it  is  absolutely  im- 
possible, that  the  two  can  be  separated  ?  We  will  not 
recapitulate  our  reasonings  in  the  early  chapters  of 
this  volume  ;  but  we  will  press  their  conclusions.  If 
it  is  no  matter  about  this  outward  unity,  then  it  is  no 
matter  about  the  internal ;  then  it  is  no  matter  about 
the  honor  of  the  Church  in  the  eyes  of  the  profane, 
and  the  impenitent,  and  the  careless,  and  the  un- 
thoughtful ;  then  it  is  no  matter,  whether  Christians 
shall  ever  love  each  other,  in  a  perfect  reciprocal  con- 
fidence, without  concealment  and  without  reserve, — 
whether  they  shall  ever  work  together  for  Christ  with- 
out molestation  and  with  their  utmost  energies, — 
whether  they  shall  ever  rejoice  over  the  conversion  of 
the  nations,  and  join  their  hosannas  on  earth  with 
the  "  great  voices  in  heaven,  saying.  The  kingdoms 
of  this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord 
and  of  his  Christ,  and  he  shall  reign  forever  and 
ever." 

Does  our  reader  denominate  himself  a  Christian, 
and  will  he  return  to  our  reasonings  a  reply  which 
must  involve  such  tremendously  solemn  and  dreadful 
consequences  as  these  which  have  been  enumerated  ? 

We  have  done  with  our  argument.  We  have  sta- 
ted it  as  concisely  and  as  familiarly  as  the  subject 
would  allow.  We  have  presented  topics  of  serious 
thought.  We  have  spoken  with  the  utmost  frankness 
of  a  Christian  brother  to  his  Christian  brethren.     Ah 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH.      235 

brethren  !  we  are  bound  for  eternity  ;  we  shall  all 
soon  be  there.  Let  us  now  look  for  the  truth  and 
love  it.  Let  us  root  out  all  human  pride  from  our 
dispositions.  Let  us  be  willing  to  give  up  every  thing 
and  to  take  up  any  thing  for  the  glory  of  the  Master, 
for  the  edification  of  His  Church,  for  the  salvation  of 
the  world.  Let  us  remember,  each  one  of  us,  our 
cross. 

We  call  for  Christian  unity,  without  which  there 
can  never  be  a  millenium  of  peace  and  holiness  on 
earth, — without  which  the  Lord  Jesus  can  never  es- 
tablish his  kingdom  among  men. 

We  call  not  for  that  Christian  union,  which  flares  up 
into  life,  and  dies,  in  some  brilliant  paragraph  of  a  Reli- 
gious— Literary  Journal  ;  or  which  shews  itself,  like  a 
sprite,  and  vanishes,  in  the  dazzling  appeal  of  some 
fine  orator  on  the  stage  of  some  great  Benevolent  So- 
ciety. We  ask  not  for  that  Christian  union,  which 
flows  so  softly  from  the  lips  of  men,  who  never  think 
of  any  thing  beyond  the  narrow  limits  of  their  own 
narrow  sect ;  nor  for  that  vi'hich  is  breathed  forth  so 
faintly  by  good  and  holy  men,  who  long  for  peace,  yet 
know  that  the  peace,  which  their  lips  speak  of,  is  a 
very  different  thing  from  the  actual  strifes  which  are 
wearying  their  hearts. 

We  call  for  actual  Christian  union,  in  which  the 
dissensions,  which  part  brethren,  shall  be  done  away; 
in  which  the  causes  of  contention  shall  be  removed ; 
in  which  the  plottings  and  counter-plottings,  the  pre- 
judices and  hard   speeches,  the  suspicions  and  intole- 


236        THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

ranee,  which  distract  the  family  of  the  Redeemer, 
shall  be  destroyed.  We  ask  for  Christian  union, 
which  shall  be  not  sentimental,  but  real ;  not  visiona- 
ry, but  existing ;  not  in  words  or  wishes,  but  in  fact. 
We  ask  not  for  a  shadow,  but  for  a  substance  ;  not  for 
a  creature  of  dreams  however  lovely,  but  for  a  being 
of  flesh  and  blood,  who  shall  be  an  every-day  compan- 
ion. We  ask  for  the  "  one  body  ;"  that  so  we  may  have 
the  "  one  spirit,  and  the  one  Lord,  the  one  faith,  and 
the  one  baptism,  and  the  one  God  and  Father  of  all, 
who  is  over  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  us  all."  We 
want  one  holy  Church,  visible  and  tangible,  fitted  for 
the  period  in  which  we  live  ;  so  that  the  soldiers  of 
Emmanuel  shall  no  more  be  compelled  to  act  as  spies 
upon  each  other,  and  to  waste  their  energies  in  inter- 
nal and  self-destructive  conflicts,  but  rather  shall  pre- 
sent one  undivided  front,  and  have  unweakened  cour- 
age in  their  grand  "  aggressive  attack"  upon  sin 
whether  at  home  or  abroad. 

We  call  for  a  true  Christian  unity,  which  shall  ex- 
pand itself  through  our  land ;  which  shall  go  into  all 
the  little  villages,  and  all  the  private  dwellings,  over 
the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  our  long  and  our 
broad  country,  and  unite  hearts,  and  unite  voices,  and 
unite  labor,  and  strength,  and  wealth,  that  have  al- 
ways befi|re  been  separated — which  shall  bring  into 
one  Comprehensive  Church  all  the  disciples  of  Christ. 

Then  our  villages  will  be  gardens  of  God,  which 
are  now  wrangling-places.  Then  plain  men  and  learn- 
ed men  together  will  give  up  their  jealousies  and  con- 
tentions, and  with  these  their  unhappiness  ;  and  mert 
will  be  able  to  think  about  Christ  and  souls  and  the 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.        237 

world.  Then  the  multitudes,  who  have  hitherto  ex- 
cused themselves  from  their  duty  behind  the  dissen- 
sions of  Christians,  will  be  left  without  excuse,  or 
will  take  up  the  exclamation  of  the  worldly  in  the 
days  of  Tertullian  :  "  See  how  these  Christians  love 
one  another."  Then  shall  we  "  all  be  one,  and  the 
world  will  believe  on  the  Son  of  God." 

Our  call  is  upon  the  Christian   people  of  our  land. 

We  call  upon  the  Laity,  in  every  class  and  condi- 
tion of  Christian  Society,  to  consider  this  subject ; 
to  decide  upon  duty  ;  and  to  act  promptly,  as  reason- 
able and  as  responsible  men. 

We  call  upon  the  clergy,  and  especially  those  among 
them  who  fill  the  high  places  of  influence  and  of  au- 
thority. We  entreat  you  patiently  and  candidly  to 
investigate  this  subject.  Let  it  be  canvassed  fully  in 
your  public  prints.  Let  it  be  the  topic  of  agitation 
or  at  least  of  discussion  in  your  large  assemblies. 
We  pray  you  to  come  yourselves,  and  to  bring  with 
you  those  whom  you  may  lawfully  influence,  into  the 
unity  of  one  happy  fold  of  the  chief  Shepherd.  Come 
in  your  strength — whole  Associations  and  Consocia- 
tions, whole  Presbyteries  and  Conferences.  We  will 
sit  down  with  you  most  gladly  in  our  earliest  Conven- 
tions, and,  in  all  our  deliberations,  our  motto  shall  be  : 
Compromise  and  Conformity,  Liberty  and  Law, 
Universality  and  Unity. 

Christian  Brethren  of  the  Laity  and  of  the  Clergy  : 

We  know,  that  we  ask  at  your  hands  for  much,  yet 
not  for  more  than  your  Christian  character  implies 
your  readiness  to  give.     We  ask  you  to  "  take  up  the 


238     THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

cross  ;" — to  be  willing  to  deny  yourselves  some  pre- 
possessions for  the  peace  and  unity  and  glory  of  the 
Church  of  Christ; — perhaps  to  deny  somewhat  of  hu- 
man pride,  that  disposition,  which  makes  a  man  ad- 
here to  his  present  habits,  because  they  are  his, — a 
disposition,  however,  which  brings  death  to  the  soul, 
if  it  hold  back  a  man  from  any  self-sacrifice  for  the 
honor  of  the  Master.  It  must  cost  an  effort,  it  must 
involve  some  trial,  to  unite  the  Church  again,  after 
its  long  and  its  many  arbitrary  and  tyrannous  divis- 
ions ;  especially  when  their  tendency  has  been  to  fos- 
ter self-will,  and  to  encourage  an  unhallowed  pride, 
under  the  name  of  Christian  liberty. 

It  may  be,  my  brother,  that  your  eternity  is  depend- 
ing upon  your  decision  in  the  present  subject ;  that 
your  soul's  happiness  is  depending  upon  your  giving 
this  evidence  of  your  faith  and  holiness — this  proof 
of  your  willingness  to  "  deny  yourself"  for  Christ. 
Indeed,  if  you  will  not  "take  up  your  cross"  for  the 
unity  of  Christ's  Church,  by  which  alone  His  reign 
may  be  established,  and  the  world  be  sanctified,  are 
you  sure,  can  you  be  sure,  that  you  are  a  Christian? 
In  this  cross  may  be  the  test,  in  your  particular  cir- 
cumstances, of  your  Christian  character.  If  you  can 
not  do  this  for  Christ,  are  you  sure  that  you  would  be 
vi'illing  to  go  to  the  rack  or  to  the  stake  for  Christ  ? 
Is  there  not  danger,  in  the  case  supposed,  that  you  are 
"  counting  your  life  dear  unto  yourself?"  My  broth- 
er, the  Master  wants  the  whole  soul,  he  requires  su- 
preme devotion,  he  will  accept  nothing  less,  he  has 
purchased  as  ?nuch  with  his  own  most  precious  blood. 


THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH.         239 

The  subject  is  momentously  serious.  It  demands 
action  as  well  as  consideration.  "  Let  no  one,"  we 
quote  from  our  title-page,  "let  no  one  excuse  or  de- 
ceive or  console  himself  by  pertinacious  disputatious- 
ness :  for  our  treatise  is  concerning  life  and  salva- 
tion." 

There  may  be  some,  who  will  esteem  our  Call  pre- 
posterous, and  smile  at  our  Plan.  But  let  no  Chris- 
tian esteem  our  Call  preposterous,  before  he  has  sol- 
emnly, with  prayer  and  in  honesty,  determined  his  du- 
ty in  reference  to  it.  And  let  no  Christian  smile  at 
our  Plan,  until  he  has  proved  it  to  be  impracticable. 


WE  SINNEKS  DO  BESEECH  THEE  TO"  HEAE 
VS,  O  LORD  GOD  ;  AND  THAT  IT  MAY  PLEASE 
THEE  TO  KULE  AND  GOVERN  THY  HOLY 
CHTJRCH  UNIVERSAL  IN  THE  RIGHT  WAY  f 
WE  BESEECH  THEE  TO  HEAR  US,  GOOD  LORD  1 

Book  of  Common  Prayer  ; 
The  Litany. 


APPENDIX. 


"  O  ALMIGHTY  GOD,  WHO  HAST  BUILT  THY 
CHURCH  UPON  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  THE  APOS- 
TLES AND  PROPHETS,  JESUS  CHRIST  HIMSELF 
BEING  THE  CHIEF  CORNER  STONE  ;  GRANT  THAT, 
Br  THE  OPERATION  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST,  ALL 
CHRISTIANS  MAY  BE  REJOINED  TOGETHER  IN 
UNITY  OF  SPIRIT,  AND  IN  THE  BOND  OF  PEACE, 
THAT  THEY  MAY  BE  AN  HOLY  TEMPLE  ACCEP- 
TABLE  UNTO  THEE,  THROUGH  JESUS  CHRIST  OUR 
LORD." 

Book  of  Common  Prayer ; 
Collect  for  ike  Institution  of  Minis, 
ters,   and  also  for   the    Festival   of 
St.  Simon  and  St.  Jude. 


APPENDIX. 


A  Scriptural  argument  for  the  external  unity 
OF  the  Church  ;  extracted  from  a  hook  entitled 
"  Christian  Union,"  hy  the  late  Abraham  Van 
Dyck,  Counsellor  at  Law,  of  Coxsackie,  New  York. 
Chapter  1.  p.  5 — 23. 

"God  has  most  unequivocally  declared  his  mind,  that  the  indi- 
viduals composing  his  Church,  should  be  held  together  by  a 
strong,  indissoluble  bond  of  union. 

1.  God  has  constituted  the  Church  one  and  indivisible. 

It  has  but  one  head,  and  that  is  Christ.  Col.  i.  18.  Under  the 
Old  Testament  dispensation,  prior  to  the  building  of  the  temple, 
the  manifestation  of  God's  glory  was  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  tab- 
ernacle. There  was  but  one  cloud,  and  there  was  only  one  taber- 
nacle, nor  was  there  more  than  one  ark  of  the  covenant.  And 
thus  was  the  unUij  of  the  Church  represented  in  that  period. 
After  the  children  of  Israel  had  taken  full  possession  of  the  land 
of  promise,  the  unity  of  the  Church  was  demonstrated  by  the 
erection  of  one  temple;  and  to  this  one  temple  all  the  tribes  of 
Israel  were  cammanded  to  resort  for  the  public  worship  of  Jeho- 
vah. 

If  the  unity  of  the  church  constituted  any  portion  of  its  excel- 
lence, beauty,  or  strength,  under  the  first  dispensations,  it  would 
be  strange  indeed,  if,  under  the  New  Testament,  we  had  found  a 
warrant  for  tiie  severance  of  this  union.  In  the  history  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour,  we  find  no  intimation  from  him  that  the  unity 
of  the  church  was  not  to  be  preserved,  nor  any  warrant  for  a  di- 
vision of  the  church  into  distinct  denominations,  sects,  or  parties. 
His  intercessory  prayer  for  his  church,  which  consists  of  all 
believers,  is,  "  that  they  all  may  be  one,"  as  the  father  was  in  him 
and  he  in  the  father,  "  that  the  world  may  believe  that  tiiou  hast 


244      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

sent  me."  John,  xvii.  21,  And  in  the  next  verse  he  says,  "  And 
the  glory  which  thou  gavest  mc  I  liave  given  them,  that  they  may 
be  one,  even  as  we  are  one."  These  words  do  most  evidently 
convey  tiie  idea  of  a  most  intimate  union  between  tlie  followers 
of  Christ,  even  as  that  which  subsisted  between  him  and  his 
fatJier;  and  this  union  was  to  be  visible  to  all  mankind,  that  the 
world,  seeing  the  union  of  his  disciples,  might  believe  that  the 
father  had  sent  him.  An  union  of  heart,  merely  without  an  open 
visible  union,  which  the  world  would  perceive,  could  have  no  in- 
fluence in  convincing  tiie  world  of  the  divine  mission  of  Christ. 
Valuable  and  indispensable  as  an  union  of  heart  among  believers 
is  to  the  prosperity  and  beauty  of  the  church,  it  is  the  open,  visi- 
ble, and  known  union  of  the  disciples,  that  must  conquer  the  pre- 
judices and  convince  the  understandings  of  the  men  of  the  world 
into  the  belief  that  Jesus  Christ  came  from  God.  There  is  no 
force,  no  appropriateness,  (be  it  spoken  with  reverence,)  in  the 
prayer,  if  an  union  of  heart  is  all  that  is  asked.  No  ;  this  prayer 
of  our  Lord  will  not  be  answered  ;  the  avowed  object  for  which 
he  desired  that  his  people  might  be  one,  will  not  be  accomplished, 
until  Christians  shall  be  one  in  affection,  in  counsel,  in  action, 
and  in  name. 

Though  the  personal  ministry  of  Christ  was  confined  to  the 
Jewish  nation,  he  knew  tliat  under  the  disjiensation  of  the  spirit 
and  through  the  preaching  of  the  Apostles,  the  Gentiles  v/ould 
also  be  called  into  the  church,  which  before  that  period  embraced 
only  the  children  of  Israel.  When  the  Gentiles  should  thus  be 
brought  to  embrace  the  gospel,  there  was  not  to  be  a  Gentile 
church  as  distinguished  from  that  of  the  Jews,  and  a  line  of  divis- 
ion drawn  between  tliem  ;  but  they  together  were  to  form  one 
church.  In  express  reference  to  that  event  the  Saviour  says,  John 
X.  U>,  "  Other  sheep  I  have  whicli  are  not  of  this  fold  ;  them  also 
must  1  bring  in,  and  they  sliall  hear  my  voice  ;  and  there  shall  be 
one  fuld  and  one  shepherd."  And  after  the  gospel  had,  subsequent 
to  the  death  of  the  Saviour,  been  propagated  among  the  Gentiles, 
and  many  in  the  city  of  Ephesus  had  been  received  into  the  fami- 
ly of  believers,  St.  Paul,  in  the  second  chapter  of  his  epistle, 
addressing  the  Ephesian  converts,  says,  "  But  now  in  Christ 
Jesus,  ye  who  sometime  were  afar  off,  are  made  nigh  by  the  blood 
of  Christ,  for  he  is  our  peace,  who  hath  made  both  one,  and  hath 
broken  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition  between  us;  having 
abolished  in  his  flesh  the  enmity,  even  the  law  of  commandments 
contained  in  ordinances,  for  to  make  in  himself  of  twain  (ync  new 
man,  so  making  peace;  and  that  he  might  reconcile  both  unto 
God  in  one  body  by  the  cross,  having  slain  the  enmity  thereby ; 
and  came  and  preached  peace  to  you  which  were  afar  off  and  to 
them  that  were  nigh.  For  by  him  we  both  have  access  by  one 
spirit  unto  tiie  father." 

The  doctrine  of  the  unity  of  the  church,  so  plainly  declared  by 
the  Saviour,  was  taught  and  earnestly  inculcated  by  his  Apostles, 


APPENDIX     A.  245 

under  the  plenary  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  St.  Paul  rep- 
resents the  unity  of  the  church  under  the  figure  of  a  human  body, 
consisting,  indeed,  of  many  members,  but  between  which  there  is 
an  intimate  union  and  necessaiy  dependence,  and  between  which 
a  schism  cannot  take  place,  without  endangering  the  destruction 
of  the  body  itself.  "  For  as  the  body  is  one  and  iiath  many  mem- 
bers, and  all  the  members  of  that  one  body  being  many  are  one 
body  ;  so  also  is  Christ."  1  Cor.  xii.  12.  "  For  the  body  is  not 
one  member  but  many.  If  the  foot  shall  say,  because  I  am  not  the 
hand,  I  am  not  of  the  body  ;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body  V  v. 
14,  15.  "  Now  are  they  many  members  yet  but  one  body,  and  the 
eye  cannot  say  to  the  hand  I  have  no  need  of  thee,  nor  again  the 
head  to  the  feet,  1  have  no  need  of  you."  v.  20,  21.  "  That  there 
should  be  no  schism  in  the  body,  but  that  the  members  should 
have  the  same  care  one  for  another.  And  whether  one  member 
suffers,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it.  Now  ye  are  the  body  of 
Christ,  and  members  in  particular."     v.  25,26,  27. 

Wlien  the  same  Apostle  reproves  the  Corinthians  for  their 
contentions  and  divisions,  he  proves  to  them  the  inadmissibility 
and  absurdity  of  such  divisions,  by  putting  the  emphatic  question, 
"  Is  Christ  divided!"  leaving  it  to  themselves  to  draw  the  infer- 
ence irresistibly  flowing  from  it,  that  as  Christ,  the  head  of  the 
church,  is  one  and  indivisible,  so  must  the  members  of  Christ, 
constituting  the  church,  be  one  among  themselves,  as  well  as  one 
with  him.  1  Cor.  i.  10  to  13.  Believers  are  declared  by  St.  Paul 
to  be  members  of  Christ's  body.  Eph.  v.  'SO.  "  For  we  are  mem- 
bers of  his  body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his  bones."  1  Cor.  xii.  27. 
"  Ye  are  the  body  of  Christ  and  members  in  particular."  And  they 
are  declared  to  be  members  one  of  another,  constituting  the  body 
of  Christ.  Rom.  xii.  4,  5.  "  For  as  we  have  many  members  in 
one  body,  and  all  members  have  not  the  same  oftice,  so  we  being 
many  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and  every  one  members  one  of  an- 
other." The  saints  are  declared  to  be  the  famthj  of  God  on  earth, 
excluding  the  idea  that  there  may  be  more  than  a  single  family 
constituting  the  church  of  Christ.  And  in  the  first  chapter  of  the 
first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  the  Apostle  beseeches  them,  by  the 
jiame  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Ciirist,  that  they  all  speak  the  same 
thing,  and  that  there  be  no  divisions  among  them  ;  but  that  they 
be  perfectly  joined  together  in  the  same  mind,  and  in  the  same 
judgment,     i  Cor.  i.  10. 

2.  The  division  of  the  church  into  sects  is  a  violation  of  its  con- 
stitutional unity. 

Having  proved  the  unity  of  the  church  by  the  constitution  of 
God  himself,  we  proceed  to  show  that  its  division  into  denomina- 
tions and  sects,  is  a  violation  of  this  unity.  A  division  into  con- 
gregations cannot  be  understood  to  be  a  breach  of  this  unity, 
when  made  for  the  sake  of  local  convenience,  and  in  the  spirit  of 
love ;  but  we  speak  of  those  divisions  which  result  from  disagree- 

81* 


246      THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

ment  and  contention,  and  from  tlie  assumed  imiDossibility  or  dif- 
ficulty of  remaining  together  in  peace. 

The  unity  of  the  church  was  understood  in  this  sense  by  Christ 
himself;  and  it  was  so  understood  by  his  Apostles  after  his  ascen- 
sion into  heaven,  and  the  plenary  ettusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost.  That  some  difi'erence  would  arise  among 
true  believers,  on  doctrinal  and  practical  subjects,  was  known  to 
the  Saviour  and  his  Apostles;  for  they  were  well  acquainted  with 
the  imperfections  of  the  human  understanding;  but  neither  he  nor 
they  could  have  suffered  the  thought  of  a  division  of  the  church, 
for  sucli  a  cause,  to  have  been  h&rbored  for  a  moment  in  the 
minds  of  Christians. 

Every  reader  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  knows  that  an  vm- 
happy  disagreement  arose  between  Paul,  who  was  specially  de- 
signated to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles,  and  some  of  the 
Jews  in  those  parts  where  he  ministered.  When  the  news  of  this 
disagreement  was  carried  to  Jerusalem,  some  of  the  Apostles  who 
labored  in  that  city  and  in  the  abjoining  country  of  the  Jews,  took 
sides  against  Paul.  It  is  evident,  from  the  fifteenth  chapter  of 
the  Acts,  taken  in  connexion  with  the  second  chapter  of  the  epis- 
tle to  the  Galatians,  that  this  matter  caused  a  strong  excitement, 
easily  accounted  for  from  the  nature  of  the  subject,  and  the  circum- 
stances attending  the  case.  But  neither  party  took  the  ground 
that  they  might  be  considered  as  belonging,  one  to  the  Jewish 
and  the  other  to  the  Gentile  church,  and  so  each  pursue  his  own 
course  independently  of  the  other.  No;  they  knew  they  must  be 
united  ;  that  tiiey  had  no  right  to  rend  asunder  the  churcli  which 
God  had  joined  together  in  the  bond  of  inviolable  union  ;  and  that 
by  suft'eringthe  commencement  of  schisms,  a  train  of  evils  would 
be  brought  upon  the  church  of  which  they  were  unable  to  calcu- 
late the  amount  of  duration.  Paul,  taking  with  him  Barnabas 
and  Titus,  went  to  Jerusalem,  and  conferred  with  the  other  Apos- 
tles ;  an  amicable  understanding  v/as,  atler  considerable  difficulty, 
eftectcd,  and  the  threatened  rupture  happily  avoided  ;  the  parties 
acting  in  the  spirit  of  conciliation  and  forbearance. 

Whenever  dissentions  arise  in  communities,  a  separation  be- 
tween the  parties  at  variance,  is,  to  the  corrupt  mind  of  man,  a 
natural  suggestion.  This  separation  may  often  be  proper  and 
harmless  in  those  communities  which  are  not  designed  to  be  of 
permanent  duration.  And  the  seeds  of  disunion  being  easily 
sown  in  the  church,  there  has  been  from  the  beginning,  notwith- 
standing the  evident  design  of  God  that  the  church  should  endure 
to  the  end  of  the  world,  a  disposition  for  one  to  say  to  the  other 
in  cause  of  any  disagreement,  "  Stand  by  thyself"  Had  Paul 
yielded  to  this  spirit,  how  plausil)ly  might  have  seemed  to  him  the 
expediency  of  setting  up  himself  as  the  head  ofthe  Gentile  church, 
leaving  John,  Peter,  James,  and  the  other  Apostles,  to  manage 
the  concerns  of  the  Jewish  Church'?  He  had  been  chosen  and 
sent  by  Christ  himself  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Heathen,  and 


APPENDIX      A.  247 

in  the  course  of  his  ministry  umongtlicm,  he  was  constantly  vex- 
ed by  the  Jiidaising  teachers,  who  sought  to  bring  his  converts 
under  the  yoke  of  the  ritual  law,  while  he  was  anxiously  desirous 
that  they  should  enjoj^  the  liberty  wlierewiih  Christ  had  made 
them  free.  The  establishment  of  a  separate  Gentile  church  might 
have  seemed  to  him  the  most  effectual  measure  to  destroy  the  in- 
fluence of  those  teachers  who  so  much  annoyed  him,  as  well  as 
disturbed  and  injured  the  converts  under  his  ministry.  And  the 
difference  between  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles  in  their  national 
character,  education,  manners,  habits,  and  other  circumstances, 
might  have  yjresented  an  ample  apology  to  human  reason  for  a 
separation  from  the  mother  churcli.  tjut  Paul  knew  that  th6 
church  was  one  by  the  constitution  of  Christ  its  head  ;  and  that 
any  division  of  it  would  have  been  utterly  unlawful  and  inadmis- 
sible. He  knew  it  would  be  presumptuous  impiety  in  him  to  re- 
build the  partition  wall  which  Jesus  Christ,  by  his  death,  had 
broken  down  ,  and  that  he  might  not  put  asunder  what  his  divine 
master  had  joined  together. 

The  same  Apostle  as  appears  from  his  acts  and  his  epistles, 
was  deeply  impressed  vvith  the  value  of  the  Churcli's  unity,  and 
the  calamities  that  would  be  consequent  on  its  violation.  His 
whole  soul  seemed  to  have  been  burdened  with  the  subject.  With 
what  earnestness  does  he  caunon  the  believers,  to  whom  head- 
dresses his  epistles,  against  this  principle  of  division"?  He  tells 
the  Corinthians  it  had  been  declared  to  him  that  there  were  con- 
tenitons  among  them,  for  that  every  one  of  them  said,  I  am  of 
Paul,  and  I  of  ApoUos,  and  I  of  Cephas,  and  I  of  Christ.  He 
also  tells  them,  "Ye  are  yet  carnal ;  for  whereas  there  is  among 
you  envying  and  strife  and  divisions,  are  ye  not  carnal  ■?  For 
while  one  saith,  I  am  of  Paul,  and  another  I  am  of  ApoUos,  are 
ye  not  carnan"  And  again,  "/  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  all  speak  the  same  thing, 
and  that  there  be  no  division  amonp;  you,  but  tiiat  ye  be  perfectly 
joined  together  in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same  judgment." 
The  Apostle  does  not  assume  to  heal  their  dissentions  by  inter- 
posing his  authority  to  settle  the  question  which  party  was  right, 
or  wherein  the  other  was  wrong  ;  but  he  goes  to  the  root  of  the 
evil,  showing  that  the  very  fact  of  the  disunion  of  Christians 
evinces  the  carnality,  the  unholy  temper  or  habit  of  mind,  into 
which  they  had  suffered  themselves  to  be  betrayed.  The  Corin- 
thians doubtless  believed,  as  the  difl'erent  denominations  at  this 
day  believe  in  regard  to  themselves,  that  they  had  sufficient  reason 
for  separating  from  those  who  agreed  not  with  them  in  their  pre- 
ference ;  but  the  Apostle  does  not  deem  it  necessary  for  his  argu- 
ment to  demand  of  them  what  was  the  difference  between  him- 
self and  Apollos  and  Cephas ;  nor  does  he  instruct  them  that 
they  were  disputing  about  trifles  or  minor  differences.  He  presses 
upon  them  the  unity  of  the  church,  and  the  sin  and  absurdity  of  a 
division  of  it  into  distinct  denominations  arising  from  strife  and 


248   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

disagreement.  He  does  not  admit  one  party  to  be  less  guilty  than 
the  other.  The  one  that  said  I  belong  to  Paul's  persuasion,  and 
he  who  said  I  believe  with  Apollos,  and  the  third  who  enlisted 
himself  among  ihe  admirers  of  Cephas,  and  even  those,  who,  in 
the  spirit  of  pri'leof  sect  and  party,  boasted  of  their  superiority 
to  the  rest  by  claiming  to  belong  to  Christ, — all  are  alike  reproved 
as  either  not  understanding,  or  in  their  unholy  excitements  for- 
getting the  relation  in  which  they  stood  to  each  other  as  members 
of  the  same  body  of  Christ,  and  "  members  one  of  another." 
He  asks  with  abruptness  and  with  great  pertinency  and  empha- 
sis, "  Is  Christ  divided  V  As  if  he  had  said,  "  If  there  may  be 
two  or  more  Churches,  cither  all  but  one  must  be  without  a  head, 
or  the  head  must  be  divided  into  as  many  fragments  as  there  are 
churches,  both  of  which  are  equally  impossibie." 

This  vital  principle  was  deeply  engraven  on  the  minds  of  the 
primitive  Christians,  no  such  thing  being  known  as  the  separa- 
tion of  one  body  of  believers  from  another  on  the  ground  of  dif- 
ference in  matters  of  opinion,  or  on  points  of  practice.  The  church 
continued  one  and  undivided  through  the  age  of  the  Apostles, 
and  after  the  death  of  the  last  surviving  Apostle,  even  to  the  mid- 
dleof  the  thiid  century.  In  that  period  the  gospel  had  been  prop- 
agated, and  the  church  extended  throughout  the  inhabited  world, 
and  yet  no  such  tiling  as  a  distinct  denomination  of  Christians 
was  known.  What  then  was  it  that  kept  Christians  together  in 
one  Church!  It  was  the  strengih  of  the  principle  which  they 
believed — which  they  knciu  to  be  according  to  the  constitution  of 
God,  that  the  church  is  one,  and  any  division  of  it  wholly  inad- 
missible. 

The  reformed  Church  remained  one  for  many  years,  growing 
with  the  increase  of  God.  Although  minor  differences  arose,  they 
were  not  permitted  to  rend  her  asunder.  But  after  the  lapse  of 
years,  the  spirit  of  controversy  was  suffered  to  prevail  among  the 
successors  of  the  reformers,  and  in  the  heat  of  their  disputations, 
they  separated  inio  different  sects,  according  to  their  varying 
creeds.  The  parties,  however,  were  very  reluctant  to  commence 
the  business  of  separation.  Their  consciences  were  ill  at  ease, 
knowing  as  they  did  the  unscriptural  character  of  any  division 
of  the  Church  of  Christ.  The  reformers  themselves,  when  they 
withdrew  from  the  church  of  Rome,  did  not  do  it  on  the  ground 
that  it  is  lawful  fur  Christians  to  separate  from  each  other.  On 
the  contrary,  the  only  justification  they  avowed  for  leaving  that 
chuich,  was  that  she  was  not  the  church  of  Christ.  They  were 
agreed  that  the  church  is  one,  and  that  any  division  of  that  church 
is  a  breach  of  its  unity. 

Having  shown  in  what  sense  the  unity  of  the  charch  was  un- 
derstood by  the  apostles,  by  the  primitive  Christians  of  the  three 
first  centuries,  and  by  the  reformers  in  the  sixteenth  century,  we 
proceed  to  show  that  the  constitution  of  the  church  admits  of  no 
other  exposition.    This  constitution  we  have  seen  is  coeval  with 


APPENDIX     A.  249 

the  church  itself;  and  in  the  intercessory  prayer  of  the  Saviour, 
it  is  recognized  as  applicable  to  the  Christian  church,  embracing 
all,  both  Jews  and  Gentiles  wlio  then  believed,  or  should  thereaf- 
ter believe  in  his  name;  and  for  them  he  prays  that  they  all  may 
be  one  even  as  he  and  the  father  are  one.  That  it  is  the  duty  of 
believers  to  be  united  in  the  sense  here  expi-essed,  will  not  be  de- 
nied. The  enquiry  therefore  is,  what  is  the  nature  of  that  union 
which  Christ  prays  may  subsist  among  his  disciples. 

In  what  sense,  then,  were  the  Saviour  and  his  father  one.  In- 
dependently of  their  mysterious  union  above  alluded  to,  they  were 
one  in  feeling,  in  counsel,  in  action  and  in  name.  They  are 
united  together  in  the  feeling  of  love  one  to  anotlier.  So  must 
his  children  be.  But  so  they  cannot  be  when  divided  intodistinct 
denominations  ;  for  not  only  do  such  divisions  spring  from  the 
want  of  that  degree  of  mutual  love  and  forbearance  necessary  to 
hold  them  togeiiier  in  the  bond  of  union,  but  they  tend  to  weak- 
en and  destroy  what  of  the  principle  of  love  may  be  remaining, 
and  produce  the  contrary  affections  of  opposition  or  indiftercnce, 
alienation  of  heart  and  hatred. 

Jesus  Christ  and  his  Father  are  one  in  counsel^  there  being  no 
discord  or  contrariety  in  their  plans.  So  it  ought  to  be  with 
those  who  believe  in  the  Saviour.  They  should  speak  the  same 
thing  and  be  perfectly  joined  together  in  the  same  mind  and 
in  the  same  judgment.  1  Cor.  i.  10.  But  this  cannot  be  predica- 
ted of  believers  belonging  to  opposite  sects.  Their  counsels  and 
their  plans  are  not  in  unison;  and  the  very  reason  why  they  have 
separated  is,  tliat  they  could  not  hold  counsel  together,  because  of 
their  various  views  and  feelings. 

The  Father  and  his  beloved  Son  are  one  in  action.  The  works 
that  Jesus  seeth  the  Father  do,  these  he  doeth  also.  John  v.  19. 
They  always  act  in  concert.  So  it  ought  to  be  with  believers  ; 
they  should  stand  fast  in  one  spirit,  and  in  one  mind,  strivetogeth- 
er  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  Phil.  ii.  2.  But  this  cannot  be  as- 
serted of  Christians  of  different  persuasions.  They  have  arrayed 
themselves  under  difl'erent  banners,  manifesting  that  they  are  not 
willing  to  act  together;  and  in  point  of  fact  each  acts  indepen- 
dently of  tlie  otlier.  They  do  not  strive  together  ^oy  the  faith  of 
the  gospel.  Tlie  faith  which  is  propagated  by  the  one  is  denied 
and  opposed  by  the  other.  What  oi>e  builds,  another  destroys, 
for  the  plain  reason  that  what  promotes  the  prosperity  of  one, 
often  tends  to  the  injury  and  even  destruction  of  the  other. 

Our  Saviour  and  his  Father  are  one  in  name.  There  is  indeed, 
a  variety  of  names  given  to  them  in  the  Scriptures,  expressive  of 
the  several  perfections  of  their  character,  office,  or  appi'opriale 
work,  not  indicating  opposition  or  contrariety,  but  the  most  per- 
fect harmony.  So  it  should  be  with  the  members  of  Christ's 
church.  One  name  ought  to  suffice  for  them  all ;  and  if  more 
than  one  name  be  applied  to  them,  these  names  should  convey  to 
the  mind  a  harmonious  and  not  a  discordant  sound  ;  as  that  of 


250  THE   COMPREHENSIVE   CHURCH. 

believers,  Christians,  disciples,  saints,  children  of  God,  the  faith- 
ful, thejust,  and  the  like;  all  of  which  are  in  strict  accordance 
with  the  characters  and  relation  to  Christ  which  they  ought  to 
exhibit.     But  how  is  it  in  point  of  facti 

Were  there  room  for  any  remaining  doubt  whether  the  divis- 
ion into  sects  is  a  violation  of  its  constitutional  unity,  we 
might  adduce  further  evidence,  from  a  more  particular  considera- 
tion of  the  figures  of  speech,  employed  by  the  Saviour  and  his 
apostles,  to  express  the  unity  of  the  church. 

When  our  Lord  represents  himself  as  the  vine,  he  represents 
his  disciples  as  the  branches.  Hereby  is  expressed,  not  only  an 
intimate  union  between  himself  as  the  vine  and  his  disciples  as 
the  branches,  but  also  an  intimate  and  inseparable  union  between 
the  branches  themselves. 

Another  figure  employed  to  represent  the  unity  of  the  church, 
as  we  have  already  had  occasion  to  remark,  is  that  of  the  human 
body  composed  of  all  Its  various  members.  There  is  an  intimate 
union  between  all  the  parts  of  the  body;  the  severance  of  one  of 
the  members  is  the  destruction  of  that  member,  and  mutilates  the 
body.  Between  all  the  members  too,  there  is  a  mutual  depen- 
dence. 

Again,  believers  are  called  the  family  of  God  on  earth.  A  well 
ordered  family  will  be  harmonious  in  their  feelings,  views,  plans, 
and  actions. 

Another  expressive  figure  employed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
speaking  of  the  church,  is  that  of  a  sheep/old.  Mark  the  express- 
ion, a  sAec;?  fold.  Not  an  enclosure  lor  dogs,  wolves,  or  tigers, 
between  whom  it  is  necessary  to  build  walls  of  great  strength  and 
height  to  keep  them  from  biting,  tearing  and  destroying  one  anoth- 
er ;  but  of  harmless,  peaceable  sheep,  that  may  safely  be  kept  to- 
gether in  flocks,  be  they  never  so  large,  and  which  are  divided  into 
several  folds,  only  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  to  them  with 
more  facility  their  food,  and  their  other  necessities  and  convenien- 
ces. And  must  it  be  confessed,  that  the  sheep  of  Christ  cannot 
live  together  in  peace  1  Do  they  embody  so  much  of  the  nature 
of  the  ferocious  brute,  as  that  the  only  means  of  preventing  one 
from  destroying  another,  is  to  keep  them  iit  a  safe  distance"? 
Even  thieves  and  robbers  can  live  in  bands  of  brotherhood^in  the 
same  den,  with  nothing  but  tlie  tie  of  interest  and  common  dan- 
ger to  keep  them  together.  But  the  children  of  Christ's  kingdom 
cannot  live  in  a  state  of  union,  although  they  are  exposed  to  hosts 
of  common  enemies,  and  all  have  the  same  everlasting  interests, 
and  ought  to  be  bound  in  the  same  bond  of  love,  and  all  the  holy 
ties  of  religion.  What  a  libel  on  the  character  of  Christianity  ! 
What  a  perverted  exhibition  of  its  nature  ani  influence ! " 


APPENDIX    B.  251 


B 

Origin  and  Organization  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  ;  ex~ 
traded  from  "  Memoirs  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  &c." 
by  the  late  Bishop  White  of  Pennsylvania,  p. 
17—30. 

"  Although  it  happened,  as  miglitbe  expected,  thata  proportion 
of  the  settlers  of  English  America  were  of  the  profession  estab- 
lished in  England;  yet  the  number  was  not  so  considerable  as 
might  be  supposed  from  the  existing  relation  ;  owing  probably  to 
the  circumstance,  that  several  of  the  colonies  arose  in  a  great 
measure  from  dissatisfaction  with  the  establishment  at  home,  and 
partly  to  an  influx  of  subsequent  settlers,  not  only  from  other 
countries,  subject  to  the  same  crown,  but  also  from  countries  on 
the  continent  of  Europe;  principally  some  of  the  states  of  Ger- 
many. In  the  northern  and  eastern  states,  the  comparatively 
small  number  of  the  Church  of  England  may  be  seen  m  the  fact, 
that  when  the  revolutionary  war  began,  there  were  not  more  than 
about  eighty  parochial  clergymen  of  tliat  Church  to  the  north- 
ward and  to  the  eastward  of  Maryland  ;  and  that  those  clergy- 
men derived  the  greater  part  of  their  subsistence  from  ihe  society 
instituted  in  England,  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  For- 
eign Parts;  witli  the  exception  of  those  resident  in  the  towns  of 
Boston  and  Newport,  and  the  cities  of  New-York  and  Philadel- 
phia :  there  being  no  Episcopal  congregations  out  of  those  towns 
and  cities,  held  to  be  of  ability  to  support  clergymen  of  them- 
selves. In  Maryland  and  in  Virginia  the  Episcopal  Church 
was  much  more  numerous,  and  had  legal  establishments  for  its 
support.  It  was  especially  numerous  in  those  parts  of  the  said 
provinces  which  were  settled  when  the  establishments  took  place; 
for  in  the  more  recently  settled  counties,  the  mass  of  the  people 
were  of  other  communions,  scarcely  known  among  them  in  the 
early  period  of  their  histories.  In  the  more  southern  colonies, 
the  Episcopalians  were  fewer  in  proportion  than  in  the  two  last 
mentioned;  but  more  than  in  the  northern. 

The  peculiar  circumstances  under  which  it  existed  prevented, 
and  probably,  under  the  old  regime,  would  have  continued  to  pre- 
vent its  organization.  Separated  by  the  Atlantic  ocean  from  the 
Episcopacy,  under  which  it  had  been  planted,  it  had  no  resource 
for  a  ministry,  but  in  emigration  from  the  mother  country,  and  by 
sending  its  candidates  for  the  ministry  to  that  country  for  orders. 
The  first  could  not  be  the  channel  of  a  respectable  permanent  sup- 


252      tHE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURClii 

ply.  And  the  second,  which  was  the  most  depended  on  in  the 
latter  years  of  the  colonies,  was  very  troublesome  and  expensive. 
The  evil  of  the  want  of  an  internal  Episcopacy  did  not  end  here. 
For  although  the  bishop  of  London  was  considered  as  the  dioce- 
san of  the  Episcopal  churches  in  America,  it  is  evident,  that  his 
authority  could  not  be  eftectually  exerted,  at  such  a  distance,  for 
the  removing  of  unworthy  clergymen  ;  besides  which,  there  were 
civil  institutions  supposed  to  be  in  opposition  to  it,  in  the  provin- 
ces where  establishments  had  been  provided.  In  Maryland,  in 
particular,  all  interference  of  the  bishop  of  London,  except  in  the 
single  matter  of  ordination,  was  held  by  the  proprietary  govern- 
ment to  be  an  encroachment  on  its  authorities. 

For  these  reasons,  and  on  the  ground  of  the  evident  propriety 
of  being  supplied  with  all  the  orders  of  the  ministry,  recognised 
by  their  ecclesiastical  system,  application  had  been  made  to  Eng- 
land, at  different  times,  by  the  Clergy,  especially  those  in  the 
northern  colonies,  for  the  obtaining  of  an  Episcopate.  These  ap- 
plications had  produced  much  contention  in  pamphlets  and  in 
newspapers.  What  would  have  been  the  event,  in  this  respectj 
had  the  Episcopal  clergy  succeeded  in  their  desires,  is  a  problem, 
which  it  will  be  forever  impossible  to  solve. 

If  such  was  the  diiHculty  of  being  supplied  with  a  ministry  du- 
ring the  acknowledged  supremacy  of  tlie  British  croWn  ;  much 
greater,  as  may  be  supposed,  was  the  same  difficulty  during  the 
struggle  which  ended  in  the  elevating  of  the  colonies  to  the  rank 
of  independent  states.  During  that  term,  there  was  no  resource 
for  the  supply  of  jvacancies,  which  were  continually  multiplying, 
not  only  trom  death,  but  by  the  retreat  of  very  many  of  the  Epis- 
copal clergy  to  the  mother  country,  and  to  the  colonies  still  de- 
pendent on  her.  To  add  to  the  evil,  many  able  and  worthy  min- 
isters, cherishing  their  allegiance  to  the  king  of  Great  Britain,  and 
entertaining  conscientious  scruples  against  the  use  of  the  liturgy, 
under  the  restriction  of  omitting  the  appointed  prayers  for  him, 
ceased  to  officiate.  Owing  to  these  circumstances,  the  doors  of 
the  far  greater  riumbcr  of  the  Episcopal  churches  were  closed  for 
several  years.  In  the  state  in  which  this  work  is  edited,  (Penn- 
sylvania,) there  was  a  part  of  that  time,  in  which  there  was, 
through  the  whole  extent,  but  one  resident  minister  of  the  church 
in  question,  he,  (Bishop  White)  who  records  the  f^ct. 

The  first  step  towards  the  forming  of  a  collective  body  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  was  taken  at  a  meeting 
for  another  purpose,  of  a  few  clergymen  of  New- York,  New- 
Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania,  at  Brunswick,  in  New-Jersey,  on  the 
I3th  and  I4th  of  May,  1784.  These  clergymen,  in  consequence 
of  prior  correspondence,  had  met  for  the  purpose  of  consulting, 
in  what  way  to  renew  a  society  that  had  existed  under  charters  of 
incorporation  from  the  governors  of  the  said  three  states,  for  the 
Support  of  Widows  and  Children  of  deceased  Clergymen.  Here 
it  was  determined,  to  procure  a  larger  meeting  on  the  fifth  of  the 


Al*PENDI]t    B.  25S 

fensuing  October,  in  New- York ;  not  only  for  the  purpose  of  revi- 
ving the  said  charitable  institution,  but  to  confer  and  agree  on 
some  general  principles  of  an  vuiion  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
throughout  the  states. 

Such  a  meeting  was  held,  at  the  time  and  place  agreed  on :  and 
although  tiie  members  composing  it  were  not  vested  with  powers 
adequate  to  the  present  exigencies  of  the  Church,  they  happily, 
and  with  great  unanimity,  laid  down  a  few  general  pi-inciples,  to 
be  recommended  in  the  respective  states,  as  the  ground  on  which 
a  future  ecclesiastical  government  should  be  establisiied.  These 
principles  were  approbatory  of  Episcopacy  and  of  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer;  and  provided  for  a  representative  body  of  the 
Church,  consisting  of  clergy  and  laity  ;  who  were  to  vote  as  dis- 
tinct orders.  There  was  also  a  recommendation  to  the  Church  in 
the  several  states,  to  send  clerical  and  lay  deputies  to  a  meeting  to 
be  held  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  27th  of  September  in  the  follow* 
ing  year. 

Although  at  the  meeting  last  held,  there  were  pi'esent  two  cler- 
gymen from  the  eastern  states ;  yet  it  now  appeared,  that  there 
was  no  probability,  for  the  present,  of  the  aid  of  the  churches  in 
those  states,  in  the  measures  begun  for  the  obtaining  of  a  repre- 
sentative body  of  the  Church  at  large.  From  this  they  thought 
themselves  restrained  in  Connecticut,  in  particular,  by  a  step  they 
had  antecedently  taken,  for  the  obtaining  of  an  Episcopate  fioni 
England.  For  until  the  eventof  theirapplication  could  beknown, 
it  naturally  seemed  to  them  inconsistent  to  do  any  thing  which 
migiit  change  the  ground  on  which  the  gentleman  of  then-  choice 
was  then  standing.  This  gentleman  was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Sea- 
bury,  D.  D.  formerly  missionary  on  Staten-Island ;  who  had  been 
recommended  to  England  for  consecration  before  the  evacuation 
of  New-York  by  the  British  Army, 

On  the  27th  of  September,  1785,  there  assembled,  agreeably  to 
appointment,  in  Philadelphia,  a  convention  of  clerical  and  lay 
deputies,  from  sevenof  the  thirteen  United  States,  viz.  from  New- 
York  to  Virginia,  inclusive,  with  the  addition  of  South-Carolina. 
They  applied  themselves  to  the  making  of  such  alterations  in  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer,  as  were  necessary  for  the  accommo- 
dating of  it  to  the  late  changes  in  the  state  ;  and  the  proposing, 
but  not  establishing,  of  such  other  alterations  in  that  book  and  in 
the  articles,  as  they  thought  an  improvement  of  the  service  and 
of  the  manner  of  stating  the  principal  articles  of  faith ;  these 
were  published  in  a  book,  ever  since  known  by  the  name  of  the 
Proposed  Book. 

The  convention  entered  on  the  business  of  the  Episcopacy, 
with  the  knowledge  that  there  was  now  a  bishop  in  Connecticut, 
consecrated,  not  in  England,  but  by  the  non-juring  bishops  of 
Scotland.  For  Dr.  Seabury,  not  meeting  assurance  of  success 
with  the  bishops  of  the  former  country,  had  applied  to  the  latter 
quarter  for  the  succession,  which  had  been  there  carefully  main- 
32 


254       THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH 

tained  ;  notwithstanding  tiieir  severance  from  the  state,  in  the 
revolution  of  1688.  Bishop  Seabury  had  returned  to  America, 
and  had  entered  on  the  exercise  of  his  new  function,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  jjrecedingsunnner,  and  two  or  three  gentlemen  of  the 
southern  states  had  received  ordination  from  his  hands.  Never- 
theless, the  members  of  this  convention,  although  generally  im- 
pressed vi^ith  sentiments  of  respect  towards  the  new  bishop,  and 
although,  with  the  exception  of  a  few,  alleging  nothing  against 
the  validity  of  his  Episcopacy,  thought  it  most  proper  to  direct 
their  views  in  the  first  instance  towards  England, 

Accordingly,  they  addressed  the  archbishops  and  bishops  of 
England,  stating,  that  the  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States 
had  been  severed,  by  a  civil  revolution,  from  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  parent  Church  in  England;  acknowledging  the  favours  for- 
merly received  from  the  bishops  of  London  in  particular,  and 
from  the  archbishops  and  bishops  in  general,  through  the  medium 
of  the  Society  for  Propagating  tlie  Gospel ;  declaring  their  desire 
to  perpetuate  among  them  the  principles  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, in  doctrine,  discipline,  and  worship;  and  praying,  that 
their  lordships  would  consecrate  to  the  Episcopacy  those  persons 
who  should  be  sent,  with  that  view,  from  the  churches  in  any  of 
the  states  respectively. 

In  order  that  the  present  convention  might  be  succeeded  by  bod- 
ies of  the  like  description,  they  framed  an  ecclesiastical  constitu- 
tion, the  outlines  of  which  were,  that  there  should  be  a  triennial 
convention,  consisting  of  a  deputation  from  the  church  in  each 
state,  of  not  more  than  four  clergymen,  and  as  many  laymen  ; 
that  they  should  vote  statewise,  eacli  order  to  have  a  negative  on 
the  other;  that  when  there  should  be  a  bishop  in  any  state,  he 
should  be  officially  a  member  of  the  convention  ;  that  the  differ- 
ent orders  of  clergy  should  be  accountable  to  the  ecclesiastical  au- 
thority in  the  state  only  to  which  they  should  respectively  belong; 
and  that  the  engagement  previous  to  ordination  should  be  a  dec- 
laration of  belief  in  the  holy  Scriptures,  and  a  promise  of  confor- 
mity to  the  doctrines  and  the  worship  of  the  Church. 

Further,  the  convention  appointed  a  committee,  with  various 
powers;  among  which  was,  that  of  corresponding,  during  the  re- 
cess, with  the  archbishops  and  bishops  of  England;  and  they  ad- 
journed, to  meet  again  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  20th  of  June,  in 
the  following  year. 

After  the  rising  of  the  convention,  their  address  to  the  Eng- 
lish prelates  was  forwarded  by  the  committee  to  his  Excellency 
John  Adams,  Esq.  the  American  minister,  with  the  request,  that 
it  might  be  delivered  by  him  to  his  Grace  the  Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury. There  were  also  forwarded  certificates  from  the  execu- 
tives of  the  states  in  which  there  was  a  probability  of  there  being 
bishops  chosen.  The  executives  who  gave  these  certificates  were 
those  of  New-York,  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia. 
These  evidences,  agreeably  to  instructions  of  the  conventioD, 


APPENDIX    B.  255 

were  applied  for  by  the  members  of  that  body  from  the  said  states 
respectively.  Mr.  Adams  willino;ly  performed  the  service  solicit- 
ed of  him,  and  in  a  conversation  which  he  held  with  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  on  the  subject  of  the  address,  gave  such 
information,  and  expressed  such  sentiments,  as  were  calculated  to 
promote  the  object  of  it. 

After  the  receipt  of  the  first  of  the  letters  of  the  English  pre- 
lates, and  iDefore  the  receipt  of  the  second,  the  General  Conven- 
tion assembled,  a'.ireeably  to  appointment,  in  Philadelphia,  on  the 
20th  of  June,  ITdG.  The  principal  business  transacted  by  them, 
■was  another  address  to  the  English  prelates,  containing  an  ac- 
knowledgment of  their  friendly  and  affectionate  letter,  a  declara- 
tion of  not  intending  to  depart  from  the  doctrines  of  the  English 
Church,  and  a  determination  of  making  no  further  alterations 
than  such  as  either  arose  from  a  change  of  circumstances,  or  ap- 
peared conducive  to  union  ;  and  a  repetition  of  the  prayer  for  the 
succession  of  the  Ejnscopacy.  Before  their  adjournment,  they 
appointed  a  committee,  with  power  to  reassemble  them,  if  thought 
expedient,  at  Wilmington,  in  the  state  of  Delawai-e. 

On  the  committee's  receipt  of  the  second  letter,  they  summoned 
the  convention  to  meet,  at  the  place  appointed,  on  the  10th  of  Oc- 
tober toUowing. 

The  deputies  from  the  several  states  were  called  on,  beginning' 
from  the  northward,  for  information,  whether  any  persons  had 
been  chosen  in  tliem  respectively,  to  proceed  to  England  for  con- 
secration :  when  it  appeared,  that  the  Rev.  Sani  uel  Provoost,  D.  D. 
I'ector  of  Trinity  Church,  in  the  city  of  New-York,  had  been  ciio- 
sen  for  that  purpose  by  the  convention  in  that  state;  that  the  Rev. 
William  White,  D.  D.  rector  of  Christ  Church  and  St.  Peter's, 
in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  had  been  chosen  by  the  convention  in 
Pennsylvania  ;  and  that  the  Rev.  David  Griffith,  D.  D.  rector  of 
Fairfax  parish,  Virginia,  had  been  chosen  by  the  convention 
there.  Testimonials  in  their  favour  from  the  conventions  in  the 
respective  states,  agreeable  to  the  form  |n-escribed  by  the  archbish- 
ops, were  laid  before  the  General  Convention,  who  immediately 
signed,  in  favor  of  each  of  the  bishops  elect,  a  testimonal,  accor- 
ding to  the  form  prescribed  to  them  by  the  same  authority. 

The  two  former  of  the  above-named  clergymen,  having  em- 
barked together  early  in  tlie  next  month,  arrived  at  Falmouth,  af- 
ter a  passage  of  eighteen  days.  On  their  reaching  London,  they 
were  introduced  to  his  Grace  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  by 
his  Excellency  Mr.  Adams,  who,  in  this  particular,  and  in  every 
instance  in  which  his  personal  attentions  could  be  either  of  use  or 
an  evidence  of  his  respect  and  kindness,  continued  to  manifest 
his  concern  for  the  interests  of  a  church,  of  which  he  was  not  a 
member. 

Before  the  accomplishing  of  the  object  of  the  voyage,  there  oc- 
curred the  delay  of  a  few  weeks;  owmg  to  the  archbishop's  de- 
sire of  previously  laying  before  the  bishops  the  grounds  of  his 


256   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

proceeding  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  business,  in  the  early 
stages  of  which  they  had  been  consulted.  The  greater  nmnber  of 
them  were  at  tjieir  diocesses,  but  were  ex])ected  to  be  in  town  at 
the  ensuing  opening  of  parliament,  appointed  for  about  the  mid- 
dle of  January.  Very  soon  afterwards,  the  4th  of  February,  was 
appointed  for  the  consecration. 

On  that  day.  and  in  the  chapel  of  the  archiepiscopal  palace  of 
Lambeth,  Dr.  White  and  Dr.  Piovoost  were  ordained  and  conse- 
crated bishops,  by  the  Most  Rev.  John  Moore,  arclibishop  of  Can- 
terbuiy.  The  iVIosl  Rev.  William  Markliam,  archbishop  of 
York,  presented.  And  the  bishops  who  joined  with  the  twoarch- 
bishops  in  the  imposition  of  hands,  were  the  Right  Rev.  Charles 
Moss,  bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells,  and  the  Right  Rev.  John  Hinclv- 
liff,  bishop  of  Peterborough.  Betbre  the  end  of  the  same  month, 
the  newly  consecrated  bisliops  sailed  from  Falmouth  for  New- 
York,  where  they  arrived  on  Easter  Sunday,  April  the  7th,  and 
soon  afterwards  began  the  exercise  of  the  Episcopacy  in  their  re- 
spective diocesses. 

On  the  28th  of  July,  1789,  there> assembled  the  Triennial  Con- 
vention, by  whom  the  Episcopacy  of  Bisho]>s  White  and  Pro- 
voost,  of  whom  the  former  only  was  present,  the  latter  being  de- 
tained by  sickness  was  duly  recognized.  At  th;s  convention, 
there  naturally  occurred  the  importance  of  taking  measures  for 
the  pei-petuating  of  the  succession  :  a  matter,  which  some  circum- 
stances had  subjected  to  considerable  ditRculty.  The  subject  of 
perpetuating  the  succession  from  England,  with  the  relation  which 
it  bore  to  the  question  of  embracing  that  from  the  Scotch  Episco- 
pacy, was  brought  into  view  by  a  measure  of  the  clergy  in  Mas- 
sachusetts and  New-Hampshire.  This  body  had  elected  the  Rev. 
Edward  Bass,  rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church  in  Newburyport.  their 
bi.shop;  and  had  addiessed  a  letter  to  the  bishops  in  Connecticut, 
New- York,  and  Pennsylvania,  praying  them  to  unite  in  conse- 
crating him. 

And  here  it  maybe  proper  to  record,  that  the  difficulty  was  not 
long  after  removed  in  another  way  hy  the conventionof  Virginia, 
in  their  electinsfof  the  Rev.  James  iVladison,  D.  D.  president  of 
William  and  Mary  College,  Williamsburg,  their  bishop;  and  by 
his  being  consecrated  in  England. 

At  the  present  session  of  the  General  Convention,  the  constitu- 
tion formed  in  1780  was  reviewed  and  new  modelled.  The  prin- 
cipal feature  now  given  to  it,  was  a  distribution  into  two  houses, 
one  consisting  of  the  bishops,  and  the  other  of  the  clerical  and  lay 
deputies,  who  must  vote,  when  required  by  the  clerical  or  by  the 
lay  representation  from  any  state,  as  under  the  former  constitu- 
tion, by  oi-deis.  The  stated  meetings  were  to  be  on  the  second 
Tuesday  in  September  in  every  third  year;  but  intermediate 
meetings  might  be  called  by  the  bishops. 

When  the  convention  adjourned,  it  was  to  the  29th  of  Septem- 
ber following :  and  before  the  adjournment,  an  invitation  was  giv- 


APPENDIX    B.  257 

en  by  them  to  Bishop  Seabury,  and  to  their  bretln-en  generally  in 
the  eastern  slates,  to  be  present  at  the  proposed  session,  with  a 
view  to  a  permanent  union. 

On  that  day  the  convention  reassembled,  when  it  appeared  that 
Bishop  Seabury,  wnh  sundry  of  the  cler;^y  t'rom  Massachusetts 
and  Connecticut,  had  accepted  the  invitation  given  them.  Tliere 
was  laid  before  the  convention,  and  by  them  ordered  to  be  record- 
ed, evidence  of  tliat  bisiiop's  consecration  ;  which  had  been  per- 
formed by  Bishops  Kilgour,  Petrie,  and  Skinner,  of  the  non-ju- 
I'ing  Churcli  in  Scotland.  There  then  ensued  a  conference  be- 
tween a  committee  of  the  convention  and  the  clergy  from  the 
eastern  states;  the  result  of  wlilch  was,  that,  after  one  alteration 
of  the  constitution  at  their  desire,  they  declared  their  acquies- 
cence in  it,  and  gave  it  their  signatures  accordingly. 

It  had  been  provided  in  the  constitution,  that  the  arrangement 
of  two  houses  should  take  place,  as  soon  as  three  bishops  should 
belong  to  the  body.  Tliis  circumstance  now  occurred,  although 
there  were  present  only  two  of  thenij  who  accordingly  formed  the 
House  of  Bishops. 

The  two  houses  entered  on  a  review  of  the  liturgy,  the  bishops 
originating  alteratioris  in  some  services,  and  the  House  of  Cler- 
ical and  Lay  Deputies  proposing  others.  The  result  was  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer,  as  then  established,  and  has  been  ever 
since  used. 

Some  canons  had  been  passed  in  the  preceding  session;  but 
they  were  reconsidered  and  passed  with  sundry  others,  which  con- 
tinue to  this  day  substantially  the  same;  but  with  some  altera- 
tions and  additions  by  succeeding  conventions. 

The  next  triennial  Convention  was  held  in  the  city  of  New- 
York,  in  the  autumn  of  1792,  at  which  were  present  the  four  bish- 
ops already  mentioned  to  have  been  consecrated  abroad.  Hither- 
to there  had  been  no  consecrdtion  in  America;  but  at  this  conven- 
tion, although  nothing  further  was  brought  before  them  from 
Massachusetts,  relative  to  Dr.  Bass,  the  deputies  from  Maryland 
applied  to  the  assembled  bishops  for  the  consecration  of  the  Rev. 
Tliomas  John  Claggett,  D.  D.  who  had  been  elected  bishop  by 
the  convention  of  that  state.  Dr.  Claggett  was  accordingly  con- 
secrated, during  the  session  of  the  convention,  in  Trinity  Church, 
of  the  city  In  which  they  were  assembled. 

The  bishops,  having  reviewed  the  ordinal  of  the  Church  of 
England,  proposed  a  few  alterations  in  it  to  the  House  of  Cleri- 
cal and  Lay  Deputies;  principally  such  as  were  necessary  for  the 
accommodating  of  it  to  local  cii-cumstances.  The  ordinal,  thus 
reviewed,  is  now  the  e.stablished  form  for  the  consecrating  of  bish- 
ops and  the  ordaining  of  priests  and  deacons." 
22* 


258       THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH 


c 

Constitution  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America  ; 
extracted  from  the  Appendix  to  the  Journal  of  the 
General  Convention  of  1838. 

CONSTITUTION 

Of  the  Prolestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of  AmeV' 
ica.  Adopted  in  General  Convenlion,  in  Philadelphia  October, 
1789. 


article  I. 


There  shall  be  a  General  Convention  of  the  Protestant  Episco» 
pal  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,  at  such  time  in  every 
third  year,  and  in  such  place,  as  sliall  be  determined  by  the  Con- 
vention; and  in  case  there  shall  be  an  epidemic  disease,  or  any 
other  good  cause  to  render  it  necessary  to  alter  the  place  fixed  on 
for  any  such  meeting  of  the  Convention,  the  presiding  Bishop 
shall  have  it  in  his  power  to  appoint  another  convenient  place  (as 
near  as  may  be  to  the  place  so  fixed  on)  for  the  holding  of  such 
Convention;  and  special  meetings  may  be  called  at  other  times, 
in  the  manner  hereafter  to  be  provided  for ;  and  this  Church,  in  a 
majority  of  the  Dioceses  which  shall  have  adopted  this  Constitu- 
tion, shall  be  represented,  before  they  shall  proceed  to  business; 
except  that  the  representation  from  two  Dioceses  shall  be  suffi- 
cient to  adjourn:  and  in  all  business  of  the  Convention,  freedom 
of  debate  shall  be  allowed. 

ARTICLE    II. 

The  Church'in  each  Diocese  shall  be  entitled  to  a  representa- 
tion of  both  the  Clergy  and  the  Laity,  which  representation  shall 
consist  of  one  or  more  deputies,  not  exceeding  four  of  each  order, 
chosen  by  the  Convention  of  the  Diocese;  and  in  all  questions, 
when  required  by  the  Clerical  and  Lay  representation  from  any 
Diocese,  each  order  shall  have  one  vote;  and  the  majority  of  suf- 
frages by  Diocese  sliall  be  conclusive  in  each  order,  provided  such 
majority  comprehend  a  majority  of  the  Dioceses  represented  in 
that  order.  The  concurrence  of  both  orders  shall  be  necessary 
to  constitute  a  vote  of  the  Convention,    If  the  Convention  of  any 


APPENDIX      C.  259 

Diocese  should  neglect  or  decline  to  appoint  Clerical  Deputies,  or 
if  they  should  neglect  or  decline  to  appoint  Lay  Deputies,  or  if 
any  of  those  of  either  order  appointed,  should  neglect  to  attend, 
or  be  prevented  by  sickness  or  anj'  other  accident,  such  Diocese 
shall  nevertheless  be  considered  as  duly  represented  by  such  depu- 
ty or  deputies  as  may  attend,  whether  Lay  or  Clerical.  And  if, 
through  the  neglect  of  the  Convention  of  any  of  tlic  Churches 
which  shall  have  adopted,  or  may  hereafter  adopt,  this  Constitu- 
tion, no  Deputies,  either  Lay  or  Clerical,  should  attend  at  any  Gen- 
eral Convention,  the  Church  in  such  Diocese  shall  nevertheless 
be  bound  by  the  acts  of  such  Convention. 

ARTICLE    III. 

The  Bishops  of  this  Church,  when  there  shall  be  three  or  more, 
shall,  whenever  General  Conventions  are  held,  form  a  seperate 
House,  with  a  right  to  originate  and  propose  acts,  for  the  concur- 
rence of  the  House  of  Deputies,  composed  of  Clergy  and  Laity  ; 
and  when  any  proposed  act  shall  have  passed  the  House  of  Depu- 
ties, the  same  shall  be  transmitted  to  the  House  of  Bishops,  who 
shall  have  a  negative  thereupon,  and  all  acts  of  the  Convention 
shall  be  authenticated  by  both  Houses.  And  in  all  cases,  the 
House  of  Bishops  shall  signify  to  the  Convention  their  approba- 
tion or  disapprobation  (the  latter  with  their  reasons  in  writing) 
within  three  days  after  the  proposed  act  sliall  have  been  reported 
to  them  for  concurrence;  and  in  failure  tliereof,  it  shall  have  the 
operation  of  a  law.  But  until  there  shall  be  three  or  more  Bish- 
ops, as  aforesaid,  any  Bishop  attending  a  General  Convention 
shall  be  a  member  ex-ojiclo,  and  shall  vote  with  the  Clerical  De- 
puties of  the  Diocese  to  which  he  belongs  ;  and  a  Bishops  shall 
then  preside. 

ARTICLE    IV. 

The  Bishop  or  Bishops  in  every  Diocese  shall  be  chosen  agree- 
ably to  such  rules  as  shall  be  fixed  by  the  Convention  of  that 
Diocese  :  and  every  Bishop  of  this  Church  shall  confine  the  exer- 
cise of  his  Episcopal  otfice  to  his  proper  Diocese  or  district,  unless 
requested  to  ordain  or  confirm,  or  perform  any  other  act  of  the 
Episcopal  office,  by  any  church  destitute  of  a  Bishop. 

ARTICLE    V. 

A  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  any  part  of  the  United 
States,  or  any  Territory  thereof  not  now  represented,  may  at 
anytime  hereafter,  be  admitted  on  acceding  to  this  constitution; 
and  a  new  Diocese  to  be  formed  fronr  one  or  more  existing  Dio- 
ceses, may  be  admitted  under  the  following  restrictions. 


260        THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

No  new  Diocese  shall  be  formed  or  created  within  the  limits 
of  any  other  Diocese,  nor  shall  any  Diocese  be  formed  by  the 
junction  of  two  or  more  Dioceses  t  r  parts  of  Dioceses,  unless 
with  the  consent  of  the  Bishop  and  Convention  of  each  of  the 
Dioceses  concerned,  as  well  as  of  the  General  Convention. 

No  such  new  Diocese  shall  be  formed,  which  shall  contain  less 
than  eio;lu  thousand  square  miles  in  one  body,  and  thirty  Presby- 
ters who  have  been  for  at  least  one  year  canonically  resident 
within  the  bounds  of  such  new  Diocese,  rei,ailarly  settled  in  a 
Parish  or  Congregation,  and  qualified  to  vote  for  a  Bishop.  Nor 
shall  such  new  Diocese  be  formed,  if  thereby  any  existing  Dio- 
cese shall  be  so  reduced  as  to  contain  less  than  eight  thousand 
square  miles,  or  less  than  thirty  Presbyters  who  have  been  resi- 
dmg  therein,  and  settled  and  qualified  as  above  mentioned. 

In  case  one  Diocese  shall  be  divided  into  two  Dioceses,  the 
Diocesan  of  the  Diocese  divided  may  elect  the  one  to  which  he 
will  be  attached,  and  shall  thereupon  become  the  Diocesan  thereof. 
And  the  Assistant  Bishop,  if  there  be  one,  may  elect  the  one  to 
which  he  will  be  attached ;  and  if  it  be  not  the  one  elected  by  the 
Bishop,  he  sliall  be  the  Diocesan  theieof. 

Whenever  the  division  of  a  Diocese  into  two  Dioceses  shall  be 
ratified  by  the  General  Convention,  each  of  the  two  Dioceses  shall 
be  subject  to  the  constitution  and  Canons  of  the  Diocese  so  divided, 
except  as  local  circumstances  may  prevent,  until  the  same  may 
be  altered  in  either  Diocese  by  the  Convention  thereof  And 
whenever  a  Diocese  shall  be  formed  out  of  two  or  more  existing 
Dioceses,  the  new  Diocese  shall  be  subject  to  the  Constitution  and 
Canons  of  that  one  of  the  said  existing  Dioceses,  to  which  the 
greater  number  of  Clero;ymen  shall  have  belonged  prior  to  the 
erection  of  such  new  Diocese,  until  the  same  may  be  altered  by 
the  Convention  of  the  new  Diocese. 

ARTICLE  vr. 

In  every  Diocese  the  mode  of  trying  Clergymen  shall  be  insti- 
tuted by  the  Convention  of  the  Church  therein.  At  every  trial 
of  a  Bishop,  there  shall  be  one  or  more  of  the  Episcopal  order 
present;  and  none  but  a  Bishop  shall  pronounce  senience  of  de- 
positionfor  degradation  from  the  ministry  on  any  Clergyman, 
whether  Bishop,  or  Presbyter,  or  Deacon. 

ARTICLE    VII. 

No  person  shall  be  admitted  to  Holy  Orders,  until  he  shall 
have  been  examined  by  the  Bishop,  and  two  Presbyters,  and  shall 
have  exhibited  such  testimonials  and  other  requisites  as  the  Canons 
in  that  case  provided,  may  direct.  Nor  shall  any  person  be  or- 
dained until  he  shall  have  subscribed  the  following  declaration  : — 


APPENDIX      C.  261 

"  I  do  believe  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ment to  he  the  worfl  ot'  God,  and  to  contain  all  things  necessary 
to  salvation  ;  and  I  do  scilemiily  engage  to  conform  to  the  doctrines 
and  worship  of  the  Pi'otestaiit  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States."  No  person  ordained  by  a  foreign  Bishop  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  officiate  as  a  Minister  of  this  Cimrch,  until  he  shall  have 
complied  with  the  Canon  or  Canons  in  that  case  provided,  and 
have  also  subscribed  the  aforesaid  declaration. 

ARTICLE  vm. 

A  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  Administration  of  the  Sacra, 
meius,  and  other  Rites  and  Ceremonies  of  the  Church,  Articles  of 
Religion,  and  a  form  and  manner  of  making,  ordaining  and  con- 
secrating Bishops,  Priests  and  Deacons,  wlien  established  by 
this  or  a  future  General  Convention,  shall  be  used  in  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  in  those  Dioceses  which  shall  have  adopt- 
ed this  Constitution.  No  alteration  or  addition  shall  be  made  in 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  or  other  offices  of  the  Church,  or 
the  Articles  of  Religion,  unless  the  same  shall  be  proposed  in  one 
General  Convention,  and  by  a  resolve  thereof. made  known  to 
the  Convention  of  every  Diocese,  and  adopted  at  the  subsequent 
General  Convention. 

ARTICLE    IX. 

This  Constitution  shall  be  unalterable,  unless  in  General  Con- 
vention, by  the  Church,  in  a  majority  of  the  Dioceses  which  may 
have  adopted  the  same  ;  and  all  alterations  shall  be  first  proposed 
in  one  General  Convention,  and  made  known  to  the  several  Dio- 
cesan Conventions  before  they  shall  be  finally  agreed  to,  or  ratifi- 
ed in  the  ensuing  General  Convention. 

Done  in  the  General  Convention  of  the  Bishops,  Clergy,  and 
Laity  of  the  Church,  the  2d  day  of  October,  1789. 


Note. — When  the  Constitution  was  originally  adopted,  in 
August,  1789,  the  first  article  provided  that  the  Triennial  Con- 
vention should  be  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  Ausiust.  At  the 
adjourned  meeting  of  the  Convention,  held  in  October  of  the 
same  year,  it  was  provided  that /Ac  second  Tuesday  in  September, 
in  every  third  year,  s\w\Ai\  he  i\\e.  time  of  meeting.  The  time 
was  again  changed  to  the  third  Tuesday  in  May,  by  the  General 
Convention  of  1804. — See  Bioren's  edition  of  the  Journals  of  the 
General  Convention,  1817,  pp.  61,  75,  and  216. 

The  first  article  was  put  into  its  present  form  at  the  General 
Convention  of  1833. 


262       THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

The  third  article  was  so  altered  by  the  General  Convention  of 
18U8,  as  to  give  the  House  of  Bishops  a  full  veto  upon  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  other  House. — See  Journals  of  the  General  Con- 
vention, pp.248,  249. 

The  second  sentence  of  the  eighth  article  v/as  adopted  at  the 
General  Conventionof  ISH. — See  Journals  of  General  Conven- 
tion, p.  274. 

The  v\'ords  "or  the  Articles  of  Religion,"  were  added  to  tlie 
eighth  article  by  the  General  Convention  of  1829. 

The  fifth  article  was  put  into  its  present  form  at  the  General 
Convention  of  1838. 

Tlie  same  Convention  adopted  the  following  alterations. — See 
Journal  of  General  Convention  of  1838,  p.  24. 

Strike  out  tlie  word  "  Slates"  wherever  it  occurs  in  the  first  and 
second  articles,  except  where  it  follows  the  word  "  United,"  in  the 
first  part  of  the  first  article,  and  insert  in  lieu  of  the  word  "  States" 
the  word  "  Dioceses."  Strike  out  the  word  "  State"  wherever  it 
occurs  in  the  second,  third  and  fourth  articles,  and  insert  in  lieu 
thereof  the  word  "  Diocese." 

Strike  out  the  words  "  or  District"  in  the  fourth  article. 

Strike  out  the  word  "  State"  in  the  sixth  article,  and  insert  the 
word  "  Diocese."' 

Strike  out  the  word  "  States"  in  the  eighth  article,  and  insert 
the  word  "Diocese;"  and  in  the  eigiuh  article  strike  out  the 
words  "  or  State"  after  the  words  "  every  Diocese." 

Strike  out  the  word  "  Slates"  in  the  ninth  article,  and  insert  the 
word  "  Dioceses."  Strike  out  the  word  "  State"  in  the  ninth  arti- 
cle, and  insert  the  word  "  Diocesan." 


D 

Titles  of  the  Canons  of  the  Ppotestant  Epis- 
copal Church  in  the  United  States  ;  extract- 
ed from  the  Appendix  to  the  Journal  of  the  General 
Convention  of  1838. 

CANONS  OF  1832. 

Canon  I.  Of  the  Orders  of  Ministers  in  this  Church. 

II.  Of  the  Election  of  Bishops,  (repealed  by  Canon  1. 

1835.) 

III.  Of  the  Certificates  to  be  produced  on  the  part  of  the 

Bishops  Elect. 

IV.  Of  Standing  Committees. 

V.  Of  the  Consecration  of  Bishops  during  the  Recess 
of  the  General  Convention. 


APPENDIX      D 


263 


VI.  Of  Assistant  Bishops. 
VII.  Of  the  Performance  of  Episcopal  Duties  in  Vacant 

Dioceses,  (repealed  by  Canon  III.,  1838.) 
VIII.  Of  the  age  of  those  who  are  to  be  Ordained  or  Con- 
secrated. 
IX    Of  Candidates  for  Orders,  (repealed  by  Canon  IV., 

1838.) 
X.  Of  the  Conduct  required  in  Candidates  for  Orders. 
XI.  Of  Candidates  for  Orders  who  arc  Lay  Readers. 
XII.  Of  Candidates  who  may  be  refused  Orders. 

XIII.  Of  the  Learning  of  tiiose  who  are  to  be   Ordained, 

(repealed  by  Canon  V.,  1838.) 

XIV.  Of  the  Preparatory  Exercises  of  a  Candidate  for 

Deacon's  Orders. 
XV.  Of  the  Testimonials  to  be  produced  on  the  part  of 
those  who  are  to  be  Ordained. 
XVI.  Of  Candidates  coming  from  places  within  the  United 
States  in  which  the  Constitution  of  this  Church 
has  not  been  acceded  to. 
XVII.  Of  Deacons. 
XVIII.  Of  the  Preparatory  Exercises  of  a    Candidate    for 
Priest's  Orders. 
XIX.  Of  the  titles  of  those  who  are  to  be  ordained  Priests. 
XX.  Of  the  Times  of  Ordination. 

XXI.  Of  those  who  have  officiated   as  Ministers  among 

other  Denominations  of  Christians,  and  apply  for 
Orders  in  this  Church,  (repealed  by  Canon  III., 
1835.) 

XXII.  Of  Clergymen  ordained  for  Foreign  Parts. 

XXIII.  Of  Clergymen  ordained  by  Foreign  Bishops,  or  by 

Bishops  not  in  communion  with  this  Church,  and 
desirous  of  officiating  or  settling  in  this  Church. 

XXIV.  Of  Ministers  celebrating  Divine  Service  in  a  Foreign 

Language. 
XXV.  Of  Episcopal  Visitations. 

XXVI.  Of  the  duty  of  Ministers  in  regard  to  Episcopal  Visi- 
tations. 
XXVII.  Of  Episcopal  Charges  and  Pastoral  Letters. 
XXVIII.  Of  Parochial  Instruction. 
XXIX.  Of  the  duty  of  Ministers  to  keep  a  Register. 

XXX.  Of  Election  and  Institution  of  Ministers  into  Parishes 

or  Churches. 

XXXI.  Of  the  Officiating  of  Ministers  of  this   Church  in 

the   Churches,  or  within  the  Parochial  Cures  of 
other  Clergymen. 
XXXII.  Of  Episcopal  Resignation. 
XXXIII.  Of  the  Dissolution  of  all  Pastoral  Connection  be- 
tween Ministers  and  their  Congregations. 


264       THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCJl- 

XXXIV.  Of  Ditferences  between  Ministers  and  theii-  Congre- 
gations. 
XXXV.  Of  Ministers  removing  from  one  Diocese  to  another. 

(repealed  by  Canon  IV.,  1835.) 
XXXVI.  Of  the  officiating  of  persons  not  Ministers  of  this 
Church. 
XXXVII.  Of  offf  nces  for  which  Ministers  shall  be  tried  and 

Punished. 
XXXVIII. Of  a  Minister  declaring  that  he  will  no  longer  be  a 

Minister  of  this  Church. 
XXXIX.  Of  Degradation  from  the  Ministry,  and  of  Publishing 
the  Sentence  thereof. 
XL.  Of  a  Clergyman  in  any   Diocese  chargeable  with 

Misdemeanor  in  any  other. 
XLI.  Of  the  due  celebration  of  Sundays. 
XLII.  Of  Crimes  and  Scandals  to  be  Censured. 
XLUI.  Of  a  Congregation  in  any  Diocese  uniting  with  any 

other  Diocese . 
XLIV.  Of  the  mode  of  Publishing  Authorized  editions  of 
the  Standard  Bible  of  this  Church. 
XLV.  Of  the  use  of  the  Book  of  Common  Praj'er. 
XLVI.  Of  the   Mode  of  Publishing   Authorized   editions  of 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,   &c.,  (repealed  by 
Canon  VI.,  1835.) 
XLVIl.  Of  Forms  of  Prayer  or  Thanksgiving  for  extraordi^ 

nary  occasions. 
XLVIII.  Of  a  List  of  the  Ministers  of  this  Church. 
XLlX.  Of  the   Mode  of   Calling   Special  Meetings  of  the 
General  Convention. 
L.  Of  the  Mode  of  Transmitting  Notice  of  all  Matters 
submitted  by  the  General  Convention  to  the  Con- 
sideration of  the  Diocesan  Conventions. 
LI.  Of  the  Mode  of  Securing  an  Accurate  View  of  the 
State  of  the  Church,  from  time  to  time,  (repealed 
by  Canon  VII.,  1S.35.) 
LII.  Of  the  Alms  and   Contributions  at  the  Holy  Com- 
munion. 
LIII.  Of  the  Requisites  of  a  duorum. 
LIV.  Of  Defraymg  the  Expenses  of  the  General  Conven- 
tion, (repealed  by  Canon  VIII.,  1835.) 
LV.  Of  the   Trustees  of  the  General  Theological  Semi- 
nary. 
LVI,  Repealing  former  Canons. 

CANONS  OF  1835. 
I,  Of  the  Election  of  Bishops,  (repealed  by  Canon  I.j 

1838.) 
II.  Of  Missionary  Bishops,  (repealed  by  Canon  II,  1838.) 


APPENDIX     E.  265 

III.  Of  those  who  have  officiated  witliout  Episcopal  Ordi- 

nation, as  Ministers  among  other  Denominations 
of  Ciiristians,and  apply  for  Orders  in  tliis  Chuixh, 
(repealed  by  Canon  VIL,  1838.) 

IV.  Of  a  Minister  removing  fioiii  one  Dioces  eto  another, 
V.  Of  Amenability  and  Citations. 

VI.  Of  the  Mode  of  Publishing  Authorized  Editions  of 
the  Book  of  Common   Prayer,    &c.,  (repealed  by 
Canon  IX.,  1838.) 
VII.  Of  the  Mode  of  Securing  an  Accurate  View  of  the 
State  of  the  Church  from  time  to  time. 
VIII.  Of  Defraying  the  Expenses  of  the  General   Conven- 
tion, (repealed  by  Canon  X.,  1838.) 
CANONS  OP  1838, 
I.  Of  the  Election  of  Bishops. 
II.  Of  Missionary  Bisiiops, 

III.  Of  the   Performance  of  Episcopal  Duties  in  Vacant 

Dioceses. 

IV.  Of  Candidates  for  Orders. 

V.  Of  the  Learning  of  those  who  are  to  be  Ordained. 
VI.  Candidates  for  Orders    Ineligible  to  the  General  Con* 
vention. 

VII.  Candidates  for  Orders  in  this  Church,  who  have  been 

Ministers,  Licentiates,  or  Students  of  Theology 
among  other  Religious  Denominations. 

VIII.  Of  the   Organizing  of  New  Dioceses   formed  out  of 

Existing  Dioceses. 
IX.  Of  tlie  Mode  of  Publisliing  Authorized  Editions  of  the 

Book  of  Common  Prayer,  &c, 
X.  Of  Defraying  the  expenses  of  the  General  Conventions. 
XI.  Of  Repealed  Canons. 


E 

Canons  of  1832. 

CANON    I. 

Of  the  Orders  of  Ministers  in  this  Church. 
[This  Canon  was  first  adopted  in  1789.] 
In  this  Church  tliere  shall  always  be  three  orders  in  the  Minis- 
try, viz:  Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons, 


33 


266      THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 


CANON  III. 

Of  the  Certificates  to  be  produced  on  the  part  of  the  Bishops  eleci, 

[Pormer  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  second  of  1789 ;  the  fourth  of  1792, 
and  the  third  of   1808.] 

Sec.  1.  Every  Bisliop  elect,  before  his  consecration,  shall  pro- 
duce to  the  House  of  Bishops,  from  the  Convention  by  whom  he 
is  eleclCLl,  evidence  of  such  election,  and  from  the  House  of  Cleri- 
cal and  Lay  Deputies  in  General  Convention,  evidence  of  their 
approbation  of  iiis  testimonials,  and  of  their  assent  to  his  conse- 
cration, and  also  certificates  respectively,  in  the  followinu;  words: 
such  certificates,  in  both  cases,  to  be  signed  by  a  constitutional 
ivjajority  of  the  Clerical  and  Liiy  Deputies,  composing  the  State 
Convention,  or  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies,  as  the 
case  may  be.  The  same  evidence  of  election  by,  and  the  same 
certificate  from  the  Members  of,  the  State  Conveniion,  shall  be 
presented  to  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  in  Central 
Convention. 

Testimony  from  the  Mevibers  of  the   Convention  in  the   Diocese 
from  whence  the  person  is  recommended  for  CoJisecralion. 

We,  whose  names  are  underwritten,  fully  sensible  how  impor- 
tant it  is  that  the  sacred  office  of  a  Bishop  should  not  be  unwor- 
thily conferred,  and  firmly  persuaded  that  it  is  our  duty  to  bear 
testimony  on  this  solemn  occasion,  without  partiality  or  aflfection, 
do,  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God,  testify,  that  A.  B.  is  not, 
so  far  as  we  are  informed,  justly  liable  to  evil  report,  either  for 
error  in  religion  or  for  viciousness  in  life ;  and  that  we  do  not 
know  or  believe  there  is  any  impediment  on  account  of  which  he 
ought  not  to  be  consecrated  to  that  holy  office.  We  do  moreover 
jointly  and  severally  declare,  that  we  do  in  our  conscience  believe 
him  to  be  of  such  sufficiency  in  good  learning,  such  soundness  in 
the  faith,  and  of  such  virtuous  and  pure  manners,  and  Godly  con* 
versation,  that  he  is  apt  and  meet  to  exercise  the  office  of  Bishop, 
to  the  honor  of  God  and  the  edifying  of  his  Church,  and  to  be  a 
wholesome  example  to  the  flock  of  Christ. 

The  above  certificate  shall  be  presented  to  the  House  of  Cleri- 
cal and  Lay  Deputies  in  General  Convention. 

Testimony  from  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  in  Gen' 
eral  Convention. 

We,  whose  names  are  undervvritten,  fully  sensible  how  impor- 
tant it  is  that  the  sacred  office  of  a  Bishop  should  not  be  unwor- 
thily conferred,  and  firmly  persuaded  that  it  is  our  duty  to  bear 
testimony  on  this  solemn  occasion,  without  partiality  or  aflfection, 
do,  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God,  testify,  that  A.  B.  is  not, 
so  far  as  we  are  informed,  justly  liable  to  evil  report,  either  for  er- 
ror in  religion  or  for  viciousness  of  life :  and  that  we  do  not  know 
or  believe  there  is  any  impediment  on  account  of  which  he  ought 


APPENDIX     E.  267 

not  to  be  consecrated  to  that  holy  office  ;  but  that  he  hath,  as  we 
believe,  led  his  life  for  three  years  last  past,  piously,  soberly,  and 
honestly. 

Sect.  2.  If  the  House  of  Bishops  consent  to  the  consecration, 
the  presiding  Bishop,  with  any  two  Bishops,  may  proceed  to  per- 
form the  same,  or  any  tiuee  BisJioiDs,  to  whom  he  may  communi- 
cate the  testimonials. 


CANON    IV. 

Of  StaJiding  Covimitleex. 

[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  sixth  of  ]789 :  the  second  of  179^ 
and  the  fourth  and  twenty  fourtli  of  1808] 

Sect.  1.  In  every  Diocese  there  shall  be  a  Standing  Committee, 
to  be  appointed  by  the  Convention  thereof,  whose  duties,  except 
so  far  as  provided  for  by  the  Canons  of  the  General  Convention, 
may  be  prescribed  by  the  Canons  of  the  respective  Dioceses.  They 
shall  elect  from  their  own  body  a  President  and  a  Secretary.  They 
may  meet  on  their  own  adjournment,  from  time  to  time;  and  the 
President  shall  have  power  to  summon  special  meetings  when- 
ever he  shall  deem  it  necessary. 

Sect.  2.  In  every  Diocese  where  there  is  a  Bishop,  the  Stand- 
ing Committee  shall  be  a  council  of  advice  to  the  Bishop.  They 
shall  be  sumixioned  on  the  requisition  of  the  Bi.shop,  whenever  he 
shall  wish  for  their  advice.  And  they  mav  meet  of  their  own 
accord,  and  agreeably  to  their  own  rules,  when  they  may  be  dis- 
posed to  advise  the  Bishop. 

Sect.  3.  Where  there  is  no  Bishop,  the  Standing  Coiifimittee  is 
the  Ecclesiastical  authority  for  all  purposes  declared  in  these 
Canons. 


Of  the  Consecratioyi  of  Bishops  during  the  Recess  of  the  Gen- 
cud  Convention. 

[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  second  of  1799;  the  fifth  of  1808 
and  the  sixth  of  1820.] 

Sect.  1.  If  during  the  recess  of  the  General  Convention,  the 
Church,  in  any  Diocese,  should  be  desirous  of  the  Consecration 
of  a  Bishop  elect,  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Church  in  such 
Diocese  may,  by  their  President,  or  by  sotne  person  or  persons 
specially  appointed,  communicate  the  desire  to  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee of  the  Churches  in  the  different  Dioceses,  together  with 
copies  of  the  necessary  testimonials;  and  if  the  major  number 
of  the  Standing  Committees  shall  consent  to  the  proposed  Conse- 
cration, the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese  concerned,  shall 
forward  the  evidence  of  such  consent,  together  with  other  testimo- 
nials, to  the  presiding  Bishop  of  the  House  of  Bishops,  or  in  case 


268        THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

of  his  death,  to  tlic  Bishop  who,  according  to  the  rules  of  the 
House  of  Bisliops,  is  to  preside  at  tiie  next  General  Convention, 
who  shall  communicate  the  same  to  all  the  Bishops  of  this  Church 
in  the  United  States;  and  if  a  majority  of  the  Bishops  consent 
to  the  Consecration,  the  presiding  Bishop,  or  Bishop  aforesaid, 
with  any  two  Bishops,  may  proceed  to  perform  the  same  ;  or  any 
three  Bishops  to  whom  he  may  communicate  the  testimonials. 

Sect.  2.  The  evidence  of  the  consent  of  the  diflerent  Stand- 
ing Committees  shall  be  in  the  ibrm  prescribed  by  the  House  of 
clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  in  General  Convention  ;  and  without 
tlie  aforesaid  requisites,  no  Consecration  shall  take  place  during 
tlie  recess  of  the  General  Convention.  But  in  case  the  election 
o»f  a  Bishop  shall  take  place  within  a  year  before  the  meeting  of 
the  General  Convention,  all  matters  relative  to  the  Consecration 
shall  be  deferred  until  the  said  meeting. 


CANON  VI. 
Of  Assistant  Bishops. 
[The  former  Canon  on  tliis  subject  was  the  fifth  of  1829.] 
When  a  Bishop  of  a  Diocese  is  unable,  by  reason  of  old  age, 
or  other  permanent  cause  of  infirmity,  to  discharge  his  Episcopal 
duties,  one  Assistant  Bishop  may  be  elected  by  and  for  the  said 
Diocese,  who  shall  in  all  cases  succeed  the  Bishop  in  case  of  sur- 
viving him,  Tiie  assistant  Bishop  shall  perform  such  Episcopal 
duties,  and  exercise  such  Episcopal  authority  in  the  Diocese,  as 
the  Bishop  shall  assign  to  him  ;  and  in  case  of  the  Bishop's  ina- 
bility to  assign  such  duties  declared  by  the  Convention  of  the 
Diocese,  the  Assistant  Bishop  shall,  during  such  inability,  perform 
all  the  duties,  and  exercise  all  the  authorities  which  appertain  to 
the  office  of  Bishop.  No  person  shall  be  Elected  or  Consecrated 
a  Suifragan  Bishop,  nor  shall  there  be  more  than  one  Assistant 
BishojJ  in  a  Diocese  at  the  same  time. 


CANON    VIII. 
Of  the  Age  of  those  who  are  to  he  Ordained  or  Consecrated. 
[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  fourtli  of  1789 ;  the  third  of  1795  ; 
and  the  sixth  of  1808.] 

Deacon's  Orders  shall  not  be  conferred  on  any  person  until  he 
shall  be  twenty  one  years  old,  nor  Priest's  Orders  on  any  one  un- 
til he  shall  be  twenty  four  years  old.  And  no  Deacon  shall  be 
ordained  Priest,  unless  he  shall  have  been  a  Deacon  one  year, 
except  for  reasonable  causes  it  shall  otherwise  seem  good  unto  the 
Bishop.  No  man  shall  be  consecrated  a  Bishop  of  this  Church, 
until  he  shall  be  thirty  years  old. 


APPENDIX 


269 


CANON    X. 
Of  the  Conduct  required  in  Candidates  for  Orders. 
[The  former  Canon  on  this  subject  was  the  eighth  of  1808.] 
The  Bishop  or  othor  Ecclesiastical  authority,  who   may  have 
the  supnriutpndence  of  Candidates  for  Orders,  shall  lake  care  that 
they  pursue  their  studies  diligcnlly,   and  under   proper  direction, 
andtliat  they  do   not  indulge  in  any  v.iin  or  trifling  conduct,  or 
in  any  amusements  most   liable  to  be  abused  to  liceniiousness,  or 
unfavorable  to  that  seriousness,  and  to  those  pious  and  studious 
habits,  which  become  those  who  are  preparing  for  the  liuly  min- 
istry. 


CANON    XIV. 

Of   the  Preparatory  Exercises  of  a   Candidate  for  Deacon's 
Orders. 

I  Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  sixth  of  1795;  and  the  tenth  of 
1808.] 

Skct  1.  There  shall  be  assigned  to  every  Candidate  for  Dea- 
con's Orders,  four  different  examinations,  at  such  times  and  pla- 
ces as  the  Bishop  to  whom  he  applies  for  Orders  shall  appoint. 
The  examination  shall  take  place  in  the  presence  of  the  Bisliop 
and  two  or  more  Presbyters,  on  the  following  studies  prescribed 
by  the  Canons,  and  by  the  course  of  study  establislied  by  the 
House  of  Bishops.  At  the  first  examination — on  some  approved 
Treatises  on  Natural  Philoso|)]iy.  Moral  Philosophy,  and 
Rlietoric,  and  in  the  Hebrew  Bible,  the  Greek  Testament,  and 
the  Latin  tongue.  At  the  second  examination — on  the  books  of 
Scripture;  the  Candidate  being  required  to  give  an  account  of  the 
different  books,  a)id  to  explain  such  passages  as  may  be  proposed 
to  him.  At  the  third  examination — on  the  Evidences  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  Sysiematic  Divinity.  And  at  tlie  last  examination 
— on  Church  History,  Ecclesiastical  Polity,  the  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer,  and  the  Constitution  and  Canor.s  of  the  Church,  and 
of  the  Diocese  for  which  he  is  tojjc  ordained.  In  tlie  choice  of 
books  on  the  above  subjects,  the  Candidate  is  to  be  guided  by  the 
course  of  study  establislied  by  the  House  of  Bishops.  At  each 
of  the  aforementioned  examinalions,  ho  shall  produce  and  read  a 
Sermon  or  Discourse,  composed  by  himself,  f  n  some  passage  of 
Scripiure  previously  assigned  him,  which,  together  with  one  other 
Sermon  or  Discourse  on  some  passage  of  Scripture  selected  by 
himself,  shall  be  submitted  to  the  criticism  of  the  Bishop  and 
Clergy  present.  And  before  his  ordination,  he  shall  be  required 
to  perform  such  exercises  in  reading,  in  the  presence  of  the  Bisliop 
and  Clergy,  as  may  enable  them  to  give  him  such  advice  and  in- 
structions as  may  aid  him  in  performing  the  service  of  the  Church, 
and  in  delivering  his  Sermons  with  projjriely  and  devotion. 
Sect.  2.  The  Bishop  may  appoint  some  of  his  Presbyters  to 
23» 


270         THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

conduct  the  above  examinations ;  and  a  certificate  from  these 
Presbyters,  that  the  prescribed  examinations  have  been  held  ac- 
coi-dingly,  and  satisfaction  given,  sliall  be  required  of  the  candi- 
date. Provided  that,  in  this  case,  tlie  candidate  shall,  before  his 
ordination,  be  examined  by  the  Bishop,  and  two  or  more  Presby- 
ters, on  the  above  named  studies. 

Sect.  3.  In  a  Diocese  where  there  is  no  Bishop,  the  Standing 
Committee  shall  act  in  his  place  in  appointing  the  examining 
Presbyters  required  by  this  Canon  ;  and  in  this  case  the  candidate 
shall  be  again  examined  by  the  Bishop  to  whom  he  applies  for 
orders,  and  two  or  more  Presbyters,  on  the  studies  prescribed  by 
the  Canons. 

Sect.  4.  A  Clergyman  who  presents  a  person  to  the  Bishop  for 
Orders,  as  specified  in  the  office  of  Ordination,  without  having 
good  grounds  to  believe  that  the  requisitions  of  the  Canons  have 
been  complied  with,  shall  be  liable  to  ecclesiastical  censure. 


CANON    XV. 

of  the  Testimonials  to  be  produced  oyu  the  part  of  those  who  are  to 

be  Ordained. 

[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  tlin  sixth  of  1789 ;  the  fourth  of  1T92  ; 
the  second  of  1795  ;  and  the  twelfth  of  1808.] 

Sect.  1.  No  person  shall  be  ordained  Deacon  or  Priest  in  this 
Church,  unless  he  exhibit  to  the  Bisliop  the  following  te.stimonials 
from  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese  for  which  he  is  to 
be  ordained,  which  recommendation  shall  be  signed  by  the  names 
of  a  majority  of  all  the  Committee,  tlie  Committee  being  duly  con- 
vened, and  shall  be  in  the  following  words: 

"  We,  whose  names  are  hereunder  written,  testify,  that  A.  B. 
hath  laid  before  us  satisfactory  testimonials,  that  for  the  space  of 
three  years  last  past,  he  hath  lived  piously,  soberly,  and  honest- 
ly;  and  hath  not  written,  taught,  or  held  any  thing  contrary  to 
the  doctrine  or  discipline  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  ; 
and  moreover,  we  think  him  a  person  worthy  to  be  admitted  to 
the  Sacred  Order  of .  'In  witness  whereof,  we  have  here- 
unto set  our  hands,  this day  of ,  in  the  year  of  our 

Lord ." 

Sect.  2.  But  before  a  Standing  Committee  shall  proceed  to  re- 
commend any  Candidate,  as  aforesaid,  to  the  Bishop,  such  Can- 
didate shall  produce  from  the  Minister  and  Vestry  of  the  Parish 
where  he  resides,  or  from  the  Vestry  alone,  if  tiie  Parish  be  va- 
cant, or  if  the  applicant  be  the  minister  of  the  Parish,  a  Deacon, 
desirous  of  Priest's  Orders ;  or,  if  there  be  no  Vestry,  from  at 
least  twelve  respectable  persons  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  testimonials  of  his  piety,  good  morals,  and  orderly  con- 
duct in  the  following  form  ; — "  We  whose  names  are  hereunder 
written,  do  testify  from  evidence  satisfactory  to  us,  that  A.  B.,  for 
the  space  of  three  years  last  past,  hath  lived  piously,  soberly,  and 


APPENDIX      E.  271 

honestly;  and  liatli  not,  so  far  as  we  Icnow  or  believe,  written' 
tau2;lit,  or  lielii  any  thing  contrary  to  the  doctrine  or  discipline 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Churcli;  and  moreover,  we  think  him 

a  person  worthy  to  be  admitted  to  the  Sacred  Order  of . 

In  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands,  this 

da}'-  of ,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord ."     He  shall  also 

lay  before  the  Standing;  Committee,  testimonials,  sisjned  by  at 
least  one  respectable  Presbyter  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States,  in  the  following'  tbrm  : — "  I  do  testi- 
fy that  A.  B.,  for  the  space  of  three  years  last  past,  hath  lived 
piously,  soberly,  and  honestly,  and  hath  not,  so  far  as  I  know  or 
believe,  written,  taught,  or  held  any  thingcontrary  to  the  doctrine 
or  discipline  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church;  and  moreover, 
I  think  him  a  person  worthy  to  be  admitted  to  the  Sacred  Older 
of .  This  testimonial  is  founded  on  my  personal  knowl- 
edge of  the  said  A.  B.  for  one  year  last  past,  and  for  the  residue 
of  the  said  time  upon  evidence  that  is  satisfactory  to  me.  In  wit- 
ness whereof,    I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand,  this day  of 

,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord ." 

Sect.  3.  But  in  case  a  Candidate,  from  some  peculiar  circum- 
stances not  affecting  his  pious  or  moral  character,  should  be  una- 
ble to  procure  testimonials  from  the  Minister  and  Vestry  of  the 
Parish  where  he  resides,  the  Standing  Committee  may  accept  tes- 
timonials of  the  purport  above  stated,  from  at  least  twelve  respec- 
table members  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  from  at 
least  one  respectable  Presbyter  of  the  said  Church,  who  has  been 
personally  acquainted  with  tiie  Candidate  for  at  least  one  year. 

Sect.  4.  Every  Candidate  for  Holy  Orders,  who  may  be  recom- 
mended by  the  Standing  Committee  of  any  Church  destitute  of  a 
Bishop,  if  he  have  resided  for  the  greater  part  of  the  three  years 
last  past  within  the  Diocese  of  any  Bishop,  shall  apply  to  such 
Bishop  for  Ordination.  And  such  Candidate  shall  produce  the 
usual  testimonials,  as  well  from  the  Committee  of  the  Diocese  in 
which  he  has  resided,  as  from  the  Committee  of  the  Church  in  the 
Diocese  for  which  he  is  to  be  ordained. 

Sect.  5.  In  the  case  of  a  Candidate  for  Priest's  Orders,  who 
has  been  ordained  a  Deacon  within  three  years  preceding,  the 
testimonials  alwve  prescribed  may  be  so  altered  as  to  extend  to 
such  portion  only  of  the  three  years  preceding  his  application  for 
Priest's  Orders,  as  have  elapsed  since  his  Ordination  as  Deacon  ; 
and  the  Standing  Committee  shall  allow  the  testimonials  so  altered 
the  same  effect  as  if  in  the  form  prescribed,  and  shall  sign  their 
own  testimonial  in  such  altered  form,  with  the  same  effect  as  if 
in  the  form  above  prescribed,  unless  som ;  circumstances  shall  have 
occurred  that  tends  to  invalidate  the  force  of  the  evidence  on  which 
the  Candidate  was  ordained  Deacon. 


273     THE      COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

CANON  XVII. 
Of  Deacons. 
[The  former  Canon  on  this  subject  was  the  thirteenth  of  1808.] 
Every  Deacon  shall  be  subject  to  the  Regulations  of  the  Bishop, 
or,  if  iliere  be  no  Bishop,  of  the  Clerical  Members  of  the  Stand- 
ing Committee  of  the  Diocese  fur  which  he  is  ordained,  unless  he 
receive  letters  of  dismission  therefrom  to  the  Bishop,  or  ecclesias- 
tical authority  of  some  other  Diocese,  and  be  thereupon  received 
as  a  Clergyinan  of  such  other  Diocese;  and  he  shall  officiate  in 
such  places  as  the  Bishop  or  the  said  Clerical  Members  may 
direct.  It  is  hereby  recommended,  that  at  the  time  a  Candidate  is 
finally  examined  for  Deacon's  Orders,  the  Bishop  shall  assign  to 
him  in  writing,  the  subjects  or  studies  oyi  which  it  is  expedient  that 
he  should  be  particularly  examined  before  being  ordained  Priest, 
and  with  that  view  name  also  some  author  who  has  treated  of 
such  subjects  or  studies  from  among  the  works  recommended  by 
the  House  of  Bishops.  And  the  said  Deacon  shall  deliver  tliis 
document  to  llie  Bishop  who  examines  him  for  Priest's  Orders. 


CANON    XVIII. 

Of  the  Preparatory  E.rocisesofa  Candidate  for  Priest^  s  Orders. 
[The  former  Canon  on  this  subject  was  the  eleventh  of  1808.] 
A  Candidate  for  Priest's  Orders  shall,  before  his  Ordination, 
be  required  to  undergo  an  examination  in  presence  of  the  Bishop, 
and  two  or  more  Presbyters,  to  be  named  by  iiini,  on  any  leading 
studies  prescribed  by  the  House  of  Bishops. 


CANON   xxxii. 
Of  Episcopal  Resignations. 

Whereas,  the  Resignation  of  the  Episcopal  Jurisdiction  of  a 
Diocese  is  to  be  discountenanced,  but  circumstances  may  some- 
times create  an  exigency  which  would  render  an  adherence  to  this 
principle  inexpedient  ;  it  is  hereby  declared  that  the  Episcopal 
Resignation  of  a  Diocese  may  take  place  under  the  following  re- 
strictions :  that  is  to  say — 

Skct.  1.  A  Bishop  desiring  to  resign,  shall  declare  his  desire 
to  do  so,  with  the  reasons  therefor  in  writing,  and  under  his  hand 
and  seal,  to  his  Council  of  Advice,  which  shall  record  the  said 
writing,  and  send  a  copy  of  the  same  forthwith  to  every  Clergy- 
man and  every  Parish  in  the  Dio  ese. 

Sect.  'Z.  At  the  next  Convention  of  the  said  Diocese,  held  not 
less  than  three  months  after  the  delivery  of  the  said  writing  to  the 
Council  of  Advice,  the  proposed  resignation  of  its  Bishop  shall 
be  considered  ;  and  if  two  thirds  of  the  Clergy  present,  entitled  to 


APPENDIX      E.  273 

vote  in  tlie  election  of  a  Bishop,  and  two  thirds  of  the  Parishes 
in  union  with  the  said  Convention,  and  entitled  to  a  vote,  and  at 
that  time  represented,  each  Parisli  iiavinfi;  one  vote  by  its  Delegate 
or  Delegates,  shall  consent  to  the  proposed  resignation,  the  sub- 
ject shall  be  referred  to  the  General  Convention  ;  but  otherwise, 
the  tender  of  resignation  shall  be  void. 

SccT.  '3.  The  writing  atbresaid,  and  the  proceedings  of  the 
Diocesan  Convention  consenting  to  the  resignation,  shall  be  laid 
before  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  at  the  next  Gen- 
eral Convention,  which  shall  have  cognizance  of  all  matters  rela- 
ting to  them;  and  if  a  majority  of  each  order  of  that  House, 
voting  by  States,  shall  agree  to  the  measure,  the  said  writing  and 
proceedings  shall  be  laid  before  the  House  of  Bishops  of  that 
Convention;  but  otherwise,  the  said  writing  and  i^roceedings 
shall  be  void. 

Skct.  4.  The  said  writing  and  proceedings  being  laid  before 
the  House  of-BisIiO()s,  it  sljall  have  cognizance  of  all  matters  re- 
lating to  them  ;  and  the  Bislio]i  who  proposes  to  resign,  may  sit 
and  vote  as  before  in  that  House;  and  if  a  majority  of  the  mem- 
bers present  of  that  House  shall  agree  to  the  proposed  resigna- 
tion, the  presiding  Bishop  shall  declare  that  it  is  confirmed  ;  and 
this  declaration  shall  be  entered  on  the  Journal  of  the  House.  But 
if  a  majority  of  the  Bishops  present  do  not  agree  to  the  resigna- 
tion, all  the  previous  proceedings  shall  be  void. 

Sect.  5.  If  no  meeting  of  the  General  Convention  is  expected 
to  be  held  within  one  year  of  the  s'tting  of  the  Diocesan  Conven- 
tion aforesaiij,  the  President  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  the 
Diocese  shall  transmit  copies  of  the  said  writing  and  proceedings 
of  the  Diocesan  Convention  to  the  Standing  Committees  of  all 
the  Dioceses  of  this  Church,  and  if  amajoiity of  them  consent 
to  the  proposed  resignation,  the  said  President  shall  transmit 
copies  of  the  said  writing  and  proceedings,  and  of  the  consent  of 
the  majority  of  the  Standing  Committees,  to  every  Bishop  of  this 
Cliurch;  and  if  a  majority  of  the  Bishops  shall  notify  the  senior 
Bisliop  of  their  consent  to  the  proposed  resignation,  he  shall  de- 
clare, under  his  hand  and  seal,  that  the  said  resignation  is  confirm- 
ed, and  shall  transmit  the  saicl  declaration  to  the  President  of  the 
Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese  concerned.  But  if  a  majority 
of  the  Bishops  do  not  notify  the  senior  Bishop  of  their  consent 
to  the  measure  within  six  months,  all  the  previous  proceedings 
shall  be  void. 

Sect.  G.  A  Bishop  wliose  resignation  of  the  Episcopal  Juris- 
diction of  a  Diocese  has  been  thus  confirmed,  shall  perform  no 
Episcopal  act,  except  by  the  request  of  the  Bishop  of  some  Dio- 
cese, or  of  the  Convention,  or  the  Standing  Committee  of  a  va- 
cant Diocese.  And  if  the  said  Bishop  shall  perform  any  Episco- 
pal act  contrary  to  these  provisions,  or  shall  in  any  wise  act  con- 
trary to  his  Christian  and  Episcopal  ciiaracter,  he  shall,  on  trial 
and  proof  of  the  fact,  be  degraded  from  the  ministry  by  any  five 


274      THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH. 

Bishops,  or  a  majority  of  them,  to  be  appointed  by  the  senior 
Bishop  of  this  Church,  and  to  be  j^overned  by  llieir  own  rules  in 
the  case  ;  and  notice  of  tlie  same  shall  be  given  to  all  the  Bishops 
and  Standing  Committees,  as  in  the  case  of  other  degraded  Min- 
isters. 

Skct.  7.  No  Bishop  whose  resignation  of  the  Episcopal  Juris- 
diction of  a  Diocese  lias  been  confirmed  as  aforesaid,  shall  have  a 
seat  in  the  House  of  Bishops. 

Sect.  8.  A  Bishop  who  ceases  in  any  way  to  have  the  Epis- 
copal charge  of  a  Diocese,  is  still  subject,  in  all  matters,  totlie  au- 
thority of  the  General  Conveniioii. 


CANON    XXXIV. 

Of  Differences  between  Ministers  and  their  Congregation^. 
[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  fourth  of  1804,  and  tho,  thirty-sec- 
ond of  1808.] 

In  cases  of  controversy  between  Ministers  who  now,  or  may 
hereafter,  hold  the  Rectorship  of  Churches  or  Parishes,  and  the 
Vestry  or  Congregation  of  such  Churches  or  Parishes,  which 
Controversies  are  of  such  a  nature  as  cannot  l)e  settled  by  them- 
selves, the  parties,  or  either  of  them,  shall  make  applicatian  to 
the  Bisiiop  of  the  Diocese,  or  in  case  there  be  no  Bishop,  to  the 
Convention  of  the  same.  And  if  it  appear  to  the  Bishop  and  a 
majority  of  the  Presbyters,  convened  after  a  summons  of  the 
whole  belonging  to  the  Diocese,  or,  if  there  be  no  Bishop,  to  the 
Convention,  or  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese,  if  the  au- 
thority should  be  committed  to  them  by  the  Convention,  that  the 
Controversy  has  proceeded  to  such  lengths  as  to  preclude  all  hopes 
of  its  favorable  termination,  and  that  a  dissolution  of  the  connec- 
tion which  exists  between  them  is  indispensably  necessary  to  re- 
store the  peace,  and  promote  the  prosperity  of  the  Church,  the 
Bishop  and  his  said  Presbyters,  or,  if  there  be  no  Bisiiop,  the 
Convention  or  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese,  if  the  au- 
thority should  be  committed  to  them  by  the  Convention,  shall  re- 
coinmend  to  such  Ministers  to  relinquish  their  titles  to  their  Rec- 
torship, on  such  conditions  as  may  appear  reasonable  and  proper 
to  the  Bishop  and  his  said  Presbyters,  or,  if  there  be  no  Bishop, 
to  the  Convention  or  the  standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese,  if 
the  authority  should  be  committed  to  them  by  the  Convention. 
And  if  such  Rectors  or  Congregations  refuse  to  comply  with  such 
recommendation,  the  Bishop  and  his  said  Presbyters,  or,  if  there 
be  no  Bishop,  the  Convention,  or  the  Standing  Committee  of  the 
Diocese,  if  the  authority  should  be  committed  to  them  by  the 
Convention,  with  the  aid  and  consent  of  a  Bishop,  may,  at  their 
discretion,  proceed,  according  to  the  Canons  of  the  Church,  to 
suspend  the  former  from  the  exercise  of  any  Ministerial  Duties 
within  the  Diocese,  and  prohibit  the  latter  from  a  seat  in  the  Con- 


APPENDIX     E.  275 

Venlion,  until  they  retract  such  refusal,  and  submit  to  the  terms  of 
the  recommendation  :  and  any  Minister  so  suspended  shall  not 
be  permitted,  duririg  his  suspension,  to  exercise  any  Ministerial 
Duties.  This  Canon  shall  apply  also  to  the  cases  of  Assistant 
Ministers  and  their  Congregations. 


CANON    XXXVII. 

of  Offences  for  which  Ministers  shall  be  Tried  and  Punished, 

[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  thirteenth  of  1789,  the  first  of 
18i)l ;  ttie  twenty-sixth  of  1808,  and  the  second  of  1829.] 

Sect.  1.  Every  Minister  shall  be  liable  to  presentment  and  tri- 
al, for  any  crime  or  gross  immorality,  for  disorderly  conduct,  for 
drunkenness,  for  profane  swearing,  for  frequenting  places  most 
liable  to  be  abused  to  licentiousness,  and  for  violation  of  the  Con- 
stitution or  Canons  of  this  Church,  or  of  the  Diocese  to  which  he 
belongs:  and,  on  being  found  guilty,  he  shall  be  admonished, 
suspended,  or  degraded,  according  to  the  Canons  of  the  Diocese 
in  which  the  trial  takes  place,  until  otherwise  provided  for  by  the 
General  Convention. 

Sect.  2.  If  any  Minister  of  this  Church  shall  be  accused,  by 
public  rumour,  of  discontinuing  all  exercise  of  the  Ministerial 
Office  without  lawful  cause,  or  cf  living  in  the  habitual  disuse  of 
puljlic,  worship,  or  of  the  holy  eucharist,  according  to  the  offices 
of  this  Cluu'ch,  or  of  being  guilty  of  scandalous,  disorderly,  or 
immoral  conduct,  or  of  violating  the  Canons,  or  preacliing,  or  in- 
culcating heretical  doctrine,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Bishop,  or, 
if  there  be  no  Bishop,  the  Clerical  Members  of  the  Standing 
Committee,  to  see  that  an  inquiry  be  instituted  as  to  the  truth  of 
such  public  rumour.  And  in  case  of  the  individual  being  pro- 
ceeded against  and  convicted,  according  to  such  rules  or  process 
asmay  be  provided  by  the  Conventionsof  tiie  respective  Dioceses, 
he  shall  be  admonished,  suspended,  or  degraded,  as  the  nature  of 
the  case  may  recjuire,  in  conformity  with  their  respective  Consti- 
tvitions  and  Canons. 


CANON    XXXVIII. 

Of  a  Minister  declarins,  that  he  icill  no  longer  be  a  minister  of 
this  Church. 

[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  second  of  1817;    the  seventh  of 
1820,  and  the  third  of  1829.] 

If  any  Minister  of  this  Churcii,  against  whom  there  is  no  ec- 
clesiastical proceeding  instituted,  shall  declare  to  the  Bishop  of 
the  Diocese  to  which  he  belongs,  or  to  any  ecclesiastical  authori- 
ty for  the  trial  of  Clergymen,  or,  where  there  is  no  Bishop,  to  the 
Standing  Committee,  his  renunciation  of  the  Ministry,  and  his 
design  not  to  officiate  in  future  in  any  of  the  offices  thereof,  it 


276      THE     COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH, 

shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Bishop,  or,  where  there  is  no  Bishop,  of 
the  Standing  Committee,  to  record  the  declaration  so  made.  And 
it  shall  be  tlie  duty  of  the  Bishop  to  displace  him  from  the  Min- 
istry, and  to  pronounce  and  record,  in  the  presence  of  two  or  three 
Clergymen,  tiiat  the  person  so  declaring,  has  been  displaced  from 
the  Ministry  in  this  Church.  In  any  Diocese  in  which  there  is 
no  Bishop,  the  same  sentence  may  be  pronounced  by  the  Bishop 
of  any  other  Diocese,  invited  by  tlie  Standing  Committee,  to 
attend  for  that  purpose.  In  the  case  of  displacing,  from  the  Min- 
istry, as  above  provided  for,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Bishop  to 
give  notice  thereof  to  every  Bishop  of  this  Church,  and  to  the 
Standing  Committee  in  every  Diocese  wherein  there  is  no  Bishop. 
And  in  the  case  of  a  person  making  the  aibove  declaration,  for 
causes  not  aflecting  his  moral  stanxiing,  tlte  same  shall  be  de- 
clared. 


CANON    XXXIX. 
Of  Degradation  from  the  Ministri/,  and  ofjniblishing  the  Sen- 
tence thereof. 

[Former  Canons  on  this   subject  were  the  third  of  1792,  an i  the  twenty- 
seventh  of  1808.] 

Sect,  1.  When  any  Minister  is  degraded  from  the  holy  Minis- 
try, he  is  degraded  therefrom  entirely,  and  not  from  a  higher  to  a 
lower  order  of  the  same.  Deposition,  displacing,  and  all  like  ex- 
pressions, are  the  saine  as  degiadation.  No  degraded  Minister 
shall  be  restored  to  the  Ministiy, 

Sect.  2.  Whenever  a  Clergyi»an  shall  be  degraded,  the  Bish- 
op who  pronounces  sentence  shall,  without  delay,  give  notice 
thereof  to  every  Minister  and  Ve-stry  in  the  Diocese,  and  also  to 
all  the  Bishops  of  this  Church,  and  \9here  there  is  no  Bishop,,  to 
the  Standing  Committee. 


CANON    XLII* 

Of  Crimes  and  Scandals  to  be  Cen%nred, 

tPormer  Casons  on  this  subject  T?ere  the  twelfth  of  1789  ;  the  twenty-fifth 
of  1808,  and  the  third  of  1817.] 

Sect,  I.  If  any  persons  within  this  Church  offend  their  breth- 
ren by  any  wickedness  of  life,  such  persons  shall  be  repelled  from 
the  Holy  Communion,  agreeable  to  tire  Rubric, 

Sect.  3.  There  being  the  provision  in  the  second  Rubric,  be- 
fore the  Communion  Service,  requiring  that  every  Minister  repel- 
ling from  the  Communion  shall  give  an  account  of  the  same  to 
the  Ordinary;  it  is  hereby  provided,  that  on  the  information  to 
the  effect  stated  being  laid  before  the  Ordinary,  that  is,  the  Bish- 
op, it  shall  not  be  his  duty  to  institute  an  enquiry,  unless  there  be 
a  complaint  made  to  him  in  writing  by  the  repelled  party.    But 


APPENDIX      E.  27? 

on  receiving  complaint,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Bishop,  unless 
he  think  fit  to  restore  him  from  the  insufficiency  of  the  cause  as- 
signed by  the  Minister,  to  institute  an  inquiry,  as  may  be  direct-^ 
ed  by  the  Canons  of  the  Diocese  in  which  the  event  has  taken 
place.  And  the  notice  given  as  above  by  the  Minister,  shall  be 
a  sutficient  presentation  of  the  party  repelled. 

Sect.  3.  In  the  case  of  great  heinousness  of  offence  on  the  part 
of  Members  of  this  Church,  they  may  be  proceeded  against,  to 
the  depriving  them  of  all  privileges  of  Church  Membership,  ac- 
cording to  such  rules  or  process  as  may  be  provided  by  the  Gen- 
eral Convention;  and  until  such  rules  or  process  shall  be  provi- 
ded, by  such  as  may  be  provided  by  the  different  State  Conven- 
tionSk 


CANON    XLIX. 
Of  the  Mode  of  calling  Special  Meetings  of  the   General   Con," 

tention. 
tFormer  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  first  of  1799,  and  the  forty-second 

of  1808.] 

Sect.  1.  The  right  of  calling  Special  Meetings  of  the  General 
Convention  shall  be  in  the  Bishops.  This  right  shall  be  exerci- 
sed by  the  presiding  Bishop,  or,  in  case  of  his  death,  by  the  Bish- 
op who,  according  to  the  rules  of  the  House  of  Bishops,  is  to 
preside  at  the  next  General  Convention;  provided  that  the  sum- 
mons shall  be  with  the  consent,  or  on  the  requisition  of  a  majori- 
ty of  the  Bishops,  expi'essed  to  him  in  writing. 

Sect.  2.  The  place  of  holding  any  Special  Convention  shall 
be  that  fixed  on  by  the  preceding  General  Convention  for  the  meet- 
ing of  the  next  General  Convention,  unless  circumstances  shall 
render  a  meeting  at  such  a  place  unsafe  ;  in  which  case  the  presi- 
ding Bishop  may  appoint  some  other  place. 

Sect.  '.i.  The  Deinuies  elected  to  the  preceding  General  Con- 
vention shall  be  Deputies  at  such  Special  Convention,  unless  in 
those  cases  in  which  other  Deputies  shall  be  chosen  in  the  mean- 
time by  any  of  the  Diocesan  Conventions,  and  then  such  other 
Deputies  shall  represent,  in  the  Special  Convention)  the  Church 
of  the  Diocese  in  which  they  have  been  chosen, 

21 


278      THE      COMPREHENSIVE      CHURCH 

F 

Canons  of  1835. 


CANON    V. 

Of  Amenability  and  Citaiicns. 

[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  third  of  1804;  the  thirty-first  of 

1803;  the  fourth  of  1829,  and  the  tliirty-fifth  of  183-2.] 

Sect.  1.  Eveiy  Minister  shall  be  amenable,  for  offences  com- 
mitted by  him,  to  the  Bishop,  and  if  there  be  no  Bishop,  the  Cler- 
ical Members  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese,  in 
■which  he  is  Canonically  resident,  at  the  time  of  the  charge. 

Sect.  2.  Unless  a  State  Convention  shall  otherwise  provide, 
a  Citation  to  any  Minister  to  appear  at  a  certain  time  and  place 
for  the  trial  of  an  offence,  shall  be  deemed  to  be  duly  served  upon 
him,  if  a  copy  thereof  is  left  at  his  last  place  of  abode,  within 
the  United  States,  sixty  days  before  the  day  of  appearance 
named  therein;  and,  in  ease  such  minister  has  departed  from  the 
United  Slates,  by  also  publishing  a  copy  of  such  Citation  in  some 
newspaper,  printed  at  tl)e  seat  of  government  of  the  State,  in 
which  the  Minister  is  cited  to  appear,  six  months  before  the  said 
day  of  appearance. 


G 

Canons  of  1838. 


CANON    1. 
Of  the  Election  of  Bishops, 
[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  first  of  1795;  the  second  of  1808; 
the  first  of  1817  ;  the  second  of  1820 ;  the  second  of  1832,  and  the  first  of 
1835.] 

Sect.  1.  Any  Diocese  in  union  with  this  Church,  havingat  the 
time  less  than  six  officiating  Presbyters  residing  therein,  regu- 
larly settled  in  a  Parish  or  Church,  and  qualified  to  vote  for  a 
Bishop ;  and  any  Diocese  at  the  time  of  its  organization,  with  a 
view  to  ask  for  admission  into  union  with  this  Church  may,  by  a 
vote  of  the  Convention  thereof  request  the  General  Convention  to 
elect  a  Bishop  for  the  same.  And,  thereupon,  the  House  of 
Bishops  may  nominate  to  the  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Depu- 
putieS;  for  their  concurrence,  a  suitable  person  for  the  office  of 


APPENDIX      G.  279 

.Bishop,  wlio  shall,  in  case  of  their  concurrence,  be  consecrated 
as  the  Bishop  of  such  Diocese.  The  evidence  of  the  concurrence 
of  the  Cleri  -al  and  Lay  Deputies,  shall  be  a  certificate,  to  ba 
signed  by  a  Constitutional  majority  of  them,  agreeably  to  the 
form  required  by  the  III.  Canon  of  1S3'2,  to  be  signed  by  the  mem- 
bers of  tiie  Convention,  in  a  Diocese  whence  a  person  is  recom- 
mended for  consecration. 

Srct.  2.  To  entitle  a  Diocese  to  the  choice  of  a  Bishop  by 
the  Convention  thereof,  tliere  must  be  at  the  time  of  such  choice, 
and  have  been  during  the  year  previous,  at  least  six  officiating 
Presbyters  therein,  resulurly  settled  in  a  parish  or  Church,  and 
qualified  to  vote  for  a  Bishop  ;  and  six  or  more  parishes  represent- 
ed HI  tlie  Convention  electing.  But  two  or  more  adjoining  Dio- 
ceses, not  having  respectively  the  requisite  number  of  Presbyters, 
to  entitle  either  to  the  choice  of  a  Bishop,  may  associate  and  pro- 
ceed to  the  choice  of  a  Bishop,  to  exercise  jurisdiction  alike  in 
each  of  the  associated  Dioceses,  if  tliere  be  at  tiie  time  of  such 
choice,  and  have  been  during  the  year  previous,  nine  or  more  such 
Presbyters,  residing  in  any  part  of  such  associated  Diocese  quali- 
fied as  aforesaid;  and  the  Bishop  so  elected,  shall  exercise  Epis- 
copal jurisdiction  over  each  of  the  associated  Dioceses,  until  such 
time  as  someone  of  said  Dioceses,  having  six  or  more  Presby- 
ters canonically  qualified  to  elect  a  Bishop,  shall  elect  him,  and  he 
shall  have  accepted  thenfficeas  its  own  exclusive  Diocesan:  where- 
upon, his  connection  with  the  other  associated  Diocese,  or  Dio- 
ceses, shall  cease  and  determine:  provided  always,  that  the  Dio- 
ceses thus  associating  in  the  election  of  a  common  Bishop,  and 
the  Conventions  thereof,  sliall  in  all  other  respects  remain  as  be- 
fore, unconnected  and  independent  of  each  other;  and  provided 
also,  that  such  association  shall  be  dissolved  on  the  demise  of  the 
Bishop,  if  not  before. 

Sect.  3.  A  Minister  is  settled  for  all  purposes  here,  or  elsewhere 
mentioned  in  these  Canons,  who  has  been  engaged  permanently 
by  any  Pasish,  according  to  the  itiles  of  said  Diocese,  or  for  any 
term  not  less  than  one  year. 

Sf;cT.  4.  The  II.  Canon  of  1832,  the  special  Canon  of  1832, 
and  the  I.  Canon  of  15*35,  are  hereby  repealed. 


CANON    II. 

Of  Missionary  Bishops. 
[The  former  Canon  on  this  subject  was  the  second  of  1835.] 
Sect.  1.  The  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  may,  from 
time  to  time,  on  nomination  by  the  House  of  Bishops,  elect  a  suit- 
able per-;on  or  persons  to  be  a  Bishop,  or  Bishops,  of  this  Church, 
to  exercise  Episcopal  functions  in  Slates  or  Territories  notorgan- 
ized  as  Dioceses.  The  evidence  of  such  election  shall  be  a  certifi- 
cate to  be  subscribed  by  a  constitutional  majority  of  said  House  of 


280       THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies,  in  tlie  form  required  by  the  III.  Canon 
of  1832,  to  be  given  by  the  meiubers  of  Diocesan  Conventions,  on 
the  recommendations  of  Bishops  elect  furconsecration,  which  cer- 
tificate sliall  be  produced  to  the  House  of  Bishops;  and  if  the 
House  of  Bishops  shall  consent  to  the  consecration,  they  may  take 
order  for  that  purpose. 

Sect.  2.  The  Bishop  or  Bishops  so  elected  and  consecrated, 
shall  exercise  Episcopal  functions  in  such  States  and  Territories, 
in  conformity  to  the  Constitution  and  Canons  of  the  Church,  and 
under  such  regulations  and  instructions,  not  inconsistent  there- 
with, as  the  House  of  Bishops  may  prescribe. 

Skct.  3.  The  jurisdiction  of  this  Church,  extending  in  right, 
though  not  always  in  form,  to  all  persons  belonging  to  it  within 
the  United  States,  it  is  hereby  enacted,  that  each  Missionary 
Bishofi  shall  have  jurisdiction  over  the  clergy  in  the  District 
assigned  him ;  and  may,  in  case  a  presentment  and  trial  of  a  cler- 
gyman become  proper,  request  the  action  of  any  Presbyters  and 
Standing  Committee,  in  any  Diocese  sufficiently  near,  and  tlie 
presentment  and  trial  shall  be  according  to  the  Constitution  and 
Canons  of  said  Diocese.  And  the  House  of  Bishops  may,  at  any 
time,  increase  or  diminish  the  number  of  States  or  Territories, 
over  which  the  said  Bishop  or  Bishops  shall  exercise  Episcopal 
functions.  And  in  case  of  the  death  or  resignation  of  a  Mission- 
ary Bishop,  the  charge  of  the  vacant  Missionary  Episcopate  shall 
devolve  on  the  senior  Bishop  of  this  Churcli,  with  the  power  of 
appointing  some  other  Bishop  as  his  substitute  in  the  said  charge. 

Sect.  4.  The  House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies  may,  on 
nomination  by  the  House  of  Bishops,  in  like  manner,  from  time 
to  time,  elect,  and  the  House  of  Bishops  consenting  thereto,  may, 
in  like  manner,  take  order  for  the  consecration  of  a  suitable  person 
to  be  a  Bishop  of  this  Church,  to  exercise  Episcopal  functions  in 
any  place  or  places  out  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  which 
the  House  of  Bishops  may  designate. 

Skct.  5,  Any  Bishop  or  Bishops  elected  and  consecrated 
ttnder  this  Canon,  shall  be  entitled  to  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Bish- 
ops, and  shall  be  eligible  to  the  office  of  Diocesan  Bishop  in  any 
organized  Diocese  within  the  United  States. 

Sect.  6.  Every  such  Bishop  shall  report  to  each  General  Con- 
vention his  proceedings,  and  the  state  and  condition  of  the  Church 
in  said  States  and  Territories,  and  place  or  places  out  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  United  States,  and  at  least  once  a  year  make  a  report 
to  the  Board  of  Missions. 

Sect.  7.     The  second  Canon  of  1835,  is  hereby  repealed. 


APPENDIX    G.  281 

CANON   III. 

Of  the  Performance  of  Episcopal  Duties  in  Vacant  Dioceses. 

[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  first  of  1795 ;  the  twentieth  of 
1808,  and  the  seventh  of  1832.] 

Sect.  1.  Any  Bishop,  Assistant  Bishop,  or  Missionary  Bish- 
op, may,  on  the  invitation  of  the  Convention,  or  the  Standing 
Committee  of  any  Diocese  where  there  is  no  Bishop,  visit  and 
perform  Episcopal  offices  in  that  Diocese,  or  in  any  part  thereof. 
And  this  invitation  may  be  temporary;  and  it  niay,  at  any  time, 
be  revoked. 

Sect.  2.  A  Diocese  without  a  Bishop  may,  by  its  Convention, 
be  placed  under  the  full  Episcopal  charge  and  authority  of  the 
Bishop  of  another  Diocese,  or  of  a  Missionary  Bishop,  who  shall, 
by  that  act,  become  the  Bishop  also  of  the  said  vacant  Diocese, 
until  a  Bishop  is  duly  elected  and  consecrated  for  the  same,  or 
until  the  said  act  of  its  Convention  be  revoked.  And  in  case  there 
shall  be  an  Assistant  Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  under  the  Episcopal 
charge  of  whose  Bishop  the  Diocese  without  a  Bishop  shall  be 
placed,  the  said  Assistant  Bishop  shall  have  the  like  charge  and 
authority  therein  as  he  has  in  the  Diocese  of  which  he  has  been 
chosen  Assistant  Bishop. 

Sect.  3.  No  Diocese  thus  placed  under  the  full  charge  and  au- 
thority of  the  Bishop  of  another  Diocese,  or  of  a  Missionary 
Bishop,  shall  invite  a  second  Bishop  to  perform  any  Episcopal 
duty,  or  exercise  authority,  till  its  connection  with  the  first  Bishop 
has  expired,  or  is  revoked. 

Sect.  4.    The  seventh  Canon  of  1832  is  hereby  repealed. 


CANON   IV.  - 
Of  Candidates  for   Orders. 
[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  were  the  sixtli  of  1795 :  the  seventh  of  1804  ; 
the  seventh  of  1808 ;  the  eighth  of  1820 ;  the  first  of  1823  ;  the  Canon  of 
1826,  and  the  ninth  Canon  of  1832.] 

Sect.  1,  Every  person  who  desires  to  become  a  Candidate  for 
Orders  in  this  Church  shall,  in  the  first  instance,  give  notice  ofhis 
intention  to  the  Bishop,  or,  if  tliere  be  no  Bishop,  to  such  body 
as  the  Church  in  the  Diocese  in  which  he  intends  to  apply,  may 
appoint,  or,  where  no  appointment  is  made,  to  the  President  of  the 
Standing  Committee. 

Sect.  2.  No  person  shall  be  considered  as  a  Candidate  for 
Orders  in  this  Church,  unless  he  shall  have  produced  to  the  Bish- 
op, to  whom  he  intends  to  apply  for  Orders,  a  certificate  from  the 
Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese  of  the  said  Bishop,  that  from 
personal  knowledge,  or  from  testimonials  laid  before  them,  they 
believe  that  he  is  pious,  sober,  and  honest;  that  he  is  attached  to 
the  doctrines,  discipline,  and  worship  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  and  a  communicant  of  the  same;  and,  in  their  ojiinion, 


282        THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

possesses  such  qualifications  as  will  render  him  apt  and  meet  to  ex- 
ercise the  ministry  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  edifying  of  the 
Church.  And  when  the  Standing  Committee  do  not  certify  as 
above,  from  personal  knowledge,  the  testimonials  laid  before  them 
shall  he  of  the  same  purport,  and  as  full  as  the  certificate  above 
required,  and  shall  be  signed  by  at  least  one  Presljyter,  and  four 
vespectal)le  Laymen  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

Sect,  3.  In  addition  to  the  above  testimonials,  the  person  wish- 
ing to  become  a  Candidate  must  lay  before  the  Standing  Commit- 
tee a  satisfactory  Diploma,  or  a  Certificate  from  the  instructor  or 
instructors  of  some  approved  Literary  Listitution,  which  certifi- 
cate must  state  what  have  been  iiis  studies,  and  the  extent  of  his 
improvement  in  them  ;  or  a  certificate  from  two  Presbyters,  ap- 
pointed by  the  ecclesiastical  authority  of  the  Diocese,  to  examine 
him,  of  his  possessing  such  Academical  Learning,  as  may  enable 
him  to  enter  advantageously  on  a  course  of  Theology. 

Sf,ct.  4.  When  a  person  applying  to  be  admitted  a  Candidate, 
wishes  the  knowledge  of  tlie  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew  langua- 
ges, and  other  branches  of  learning  not  strictly  ecclesiastical,  to 
be  dispensed  with,  the  Standing  Committee  shall  not  recommend 
him  as  a  Candidate,  until  he  has  laid  betbre  them  a  testimonial, 
signed  by  at  least  two  Presbyters  of  this  Church,  stating,  that  in 
their  opinion,  he  possesses  extraordinary  strength  of  natural  un- 
derstanding, a  peculiar  aptitude  to  teach,  and  a  large  share  of 
prudence  ;  and  the  Bishop,  with  the  consent  of  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee, shall  have  granted  said  dispensation;  This  dispensation 
shall  not  be  granted  to  any  person  under  twenty-seven  years  of 
age,  nor  shall  any  person  be  ordained  under  such  dispensation, 
until  he  shall  have  attained  thirty  years  of  age.  And  in  regard 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew  language  in  all  cases  in  these 
Canons,  the  Bisiiop  shall  have  the  sole  discretion  of  dispensation, 
withoutreference  to  theage  of  the  Candidate,  as  mentioned  in  this 
section. 

Skct.  5.  With  this  enumeration  of  qualifications  it  ought  to  be 
made  known  to  the  Candidate,  that  tlie  Church  expects  of  him, 
what  can  never  be  the  test  of  any  outward  standard — an  inward 
fear  and  worship  of  Almighty  God;  a  love  of  Religion  and  a 
sensibility  to  its  holy  influence  ;  a  habit  of  devout  affection  ,  and, 
in  short,  a  cultivation  of  all  those  graces  which  are  called  in  Scrip- 
ture the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  and  by  which  alone  his  sacred  influ- 
ences can  be  manifested. 

Sect.  6.  The  requisition  of  this  Canon  being  fulfilled,  the  Bish- 
op may  admit  the  person  as  a  Candidate  for  Orders,  and  shall  re- 
cord the  same  in  a  book  to  be  kept  for  that  purpose,  and  notify 
the  Candidate  of  such  record.  And  in  any  Diocese  where  there  is 
no  Bishop,  the  Standing  Committee  may,  on  the  same  conditions, 
admit  the  person  as  a  Candidate,  and  shall  make  record  and  no- 
tification in  the  same  manner. 

Sect.  7.  If,  after  obtaining  the  Canonical  Testimonials  from 
the  Standing  Committee,  the  person  be  admitted  as  a  Candidate 


APPENDIX     G. 


283 


by  the  Bishop,  or  if  tliere  be  no  Bishop,  by  the  Standing  Commit- 
tee, he  shall  remain.a  Candidate  forthe  term  of  three  years  before 
his  ordination,  unless  the  Bishop,  with  the  consent  of  the  Stand- 
ing Committee,  shall  deem  it  expedient  to  ordain  the  Candidate 
after  the  expiration  of  a  shorter  period,  not  less  than  one  year. 

Sect.  H.  A  Candidate  for  Orders  may,  on  letters  of  dismission 
from  the  Bishop  or  Standing  Committee  of  the  Diocese  in  which 
he  was  admitted  a  Candidate,  be  ordained  by  any  Bishop  of  this 
Church.  And  if  there  be  a  Bishop  within  the  Diocese  where  the 
Candidate  resides,  he  shall  apply  to  no  other  Bishop  for  ordi- 
nation without  the  permission  of  the  former. 

Sect.').  If  any  Candidate  for  Orders  shall  not,  within  three 
years  after  his  admission,  apply  to  have  his  first  and  second  ex- 
aminations held,  as  hereafter  prescribed,  or  if  lie  shall  not,  within 
five  years  from  his  admission,  apply  to  have  his  third  and  fourth 
examinations  held,  (unless  the  Bishop,  for  satisfactory  reasons  to 
him  assigned,  shall  allow  him  further  time,)  the  said  person  shall, 
in  either  case,  cease  to  be  a  Candidate. 

Sect.  10.  A  person  desirous  of  becoming  a  Candidate  for  Holy 
Orders,  shall  apply  to  the  Bishop  or  ecclesiastical  authority  of  the 
Diocese  in  which  he  resides,  uiiles  the  said  Bishop  or  ecclesiastic- 
al authority  shall  give  then-  consent  to  his  application  in  some 
other  Diocese.  Candidates  shall  not  change  tlieir  Canonical  resi- 
dence but  (or  bona-fi.de  causes,  requiring  the  same  to  be  judged  of 
by  the  Bishop  or  ecclesiastical  authority;  and  they  shall  not  be 
dismissed  from  the  Dioceses  in  which  iliey  were  admitted,  or  to 
which  they  have  been  duly  transferred,  for  the  convenience  of  at- 
tending any  Theological  or  other  Seminary. 

Sect.  11.  The  ninth  Canon  of  1832  is  hereby  repealed. 

C.\NON    V. 

Of  the  Learning  of  those  wko  are  to  be  Ordained. 
[Former  Canons  on  this  subject  vi^ere  the  seventh  of  3783,  altered  in  1792 ; 
the  fourth  of  1795  ;  tlie  fourth  of  1799  ;  the  second  of  1801 ;  the  ninth  of 
1808,  and  tlie  thirteenth  of  183i>.  ] 

Sect.  1.  No  person  shall  be  ordained  in  this  Church  until  he 
shall  have  satisfied  the  Bishop  and  the  Presbyters  by  whom  he 
shall  be  examined,  that  he  is  well  acquainted  witii  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  can  read  the  Old  Testament  in  the  Hebrew  language, 
and  the  New  Testament  in  the  original  Greek;  is  adequately 
acquainted  with  the  Latin  tongue,  and  that  he  hath  a  competent 
knowledge  of  Natural  and  Moial  Philosophy,  and  Church  Histo- 
ry, and  hath  paid  attention  to  composition  and  pulpit  eloquence, 
as  means  of  giving  additional  efficacy  to  his  labors;  unless  the 
Bishop,  with  the  consent  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  his  Dio- 
cese, has  dispensed  with  the  knovi'ledge  of  the  Latin  and  Greek 
languages,  and  other  branches  of  learning  not  strictly  ecclesias- 
tical, in  consideration  of  such  other  qualifications  of  the  [Gospel 
Ministry  as  are  set  forth  in  the  fourth  section  of  Canon  IV.    The 


284   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

dispensation,  with  a  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew  language,  to  be 
regarded  as  in  Canon  IV. 
Sect.  2.    The  thirteenth  Canon  of  1832  is  hereby  repealed. 


CANON    VII. 

Concerning  Candidates  for  Orders  in  this  Church  v:ho  have  been 
Ministers,  Licentiates,  or  Students  of  Thcologij,  among  other 
Religious  Denominations. 

[FormerCanonson  this  subject  were  the  sixth  of  ]804;  the  seventeenth  of 
1808  ;  the  fourth  and  fifth  of  1820  ;  the  first  of  1829  ;,  the  twenty-first  and 
twenty-fourth  of  183-2,  and  the  third  of  1835.] 

Sect.  1 .  All  [lersons  seeking  admission  to  the  Ministry  of  this 
Church,  are  to  be  regarded  as  Candidates  for  Holy  Orders. 

Sect.  2.  When  a  person  who,  not  having  had  Episcopal  Or- 
dination, has  been  acknowledged  as  an  ordained  Minister  or  Li- 
centiate among  any  other  denomination  of  Christians,  sliall  desire 
to  be  ordained  in  this  Church,  he  sliall  give  notice  tliereofto  the 
Bishop,  or  if  there  be  no  Bishop,  to  the  Standing  Committee  of 
the  Diocese  in  which  he  resides ;  or  if  he  resides  in  a  State  or  Ter- 
ritory ill  which  there  is  no  organized  Diocese,  to  the  Missionary 
Bishop  within  wliose jurisdiction  he  resides;  which  notice  sliall 
be  accompanied  witli  a  written  certificate  from  at  least  two  Pres- 
byters of  this  Church,  stating  that  from  personal  knowledge  of 
the  party,  or  satisfactory  evidence  laid  before  them,  they  believe 
that  his  desire  to  leave  tJie  denomination  to  which  he  has  belong- 
ed has  not  arisen  from  any  circumstance  unfavorable  to  his  reli- 
gious or  moral  character,  or  on  account  of  which  it  may  be  inex- 
pedient to  admit  him  to  the  exercise  of  the  Minsitry  in  tliis  Church ; 
and  they  may  also  add  what  they  know,  or  believe  on  good  au- 
thority, of  the  circumslances  leading  to  the  said  desire. 

Sect.  3.  If  the  Bishop  or  Standing  Committee  shall  think 
proper  to  proceed,  tlie  party  applying  to  be  received  as  a  Candi- 
date, shall  produce  to  the  Standing  Committee  the  same  testimo- 
nials of  literary  qualifications  as  are  required  of  all  other  Candi- 
dates ;  and  also  a  testimonial  from  at  least  twelve  members  of  the 
denomination  from  which  he  came,  or  twelve  members  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church,  or  twelve  persons,  in  part  of  the  de- 
nomination from  which  he  came,  anci  in  part  Episcopalians,  sat- 
isfactory to  the  Conunittee,  that  the  applicant  has,  fu-  three  years 
last  past,  lived  piously,  soberly,  and  honestly  ;  and  also,  a  testi- 
monial from  at  least  two  Presbyters  of  this  Cliurch,  that  they  be- 
lieve him  to  be  pious,  sober,  and  honest,  and  sincerely  attached  to 
the  doctrines,  discipline  and  worsliip  of  the  Cliurch.  TheStand- 
ing  Committee  being  satisfied  on  these  points,  may  recommend 
him  to  the  Bishop  to  be  received  as  a  Candidate  for  orders  in  this 
Church,  or  in  a  vacant  Diocese  the  Standing  Committee  may  so 
receive  him. 

Sect.  4.     Candidates  admitted  as  above,  may,  at  the  expira- 


APPENDIX     G.  285 

tlon  of  a  period  not  less  than  six  months,  be  ordained,  on  their 
passing  the  same  examinations  as  other  Candidates  for  Deacon's 
Orders;  and  in  the  examinations,  special  regard  shall  be  had  to 
those  points  in  whicJi  the  denomination  whence  they  come  differs 
from  this  Church,  with  a  view  of  testing  their  information  and 
soundness  in  the  same  ;  and  also  to  the  ascertaining  that  they  are 
adequately  acquainted  with  the  liturgy  and  offices  of  this  Church  ; 
provided,  that  in  their  case  the  testimonials  shall  be  required  to 
cover  only  the  time  since  their  admission  as  Candidates  for  Or- 
ders; and  provided,  also,  that  the  provisions  of  the  Canon  con- 
cerning Candidates  for  Orders,  as  far  as  the  same  relates  to  the 
age  of  the  person  to  whom  the  dispensation  may  be  granted,  and 
the  mode  and  restrictions  in  and  under  whicii  the  same  maybe 
granted,  shall  apply  to  the  persons  mentioned  in  th.is  Canon. 

Sect.  5.  Every  candidate  for  the  Ministry  of  any  other  denom- 
ination, who  appUes  to  be  received  as  a  Candidate  for  Orders  in 
this  Church,  may  be  allowed  by  the  Bishop,  with  the  consent  of 
the  members  of  the  Standing  Committee,  tlie  period  of  time  during 
which  he  lias  been  a  student  of  Theology,  or  Candidate  in  such 
other  denomination :  provided,  the  time  so  allowed  does  not  exceed 
two  years. 

Sect.  G.  When  any  person  not  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
who  has  been  acknowledged  as  an  ordained  Minister  among  any 
other  denomination  of  Christians,  shall  apjily  for  Orders  in  this 
Church,  the  Bishop  to  whom  application  is  made,  shall  require  of 
him  (in  addition  to  tlie  above  qualifications)  satisfactory  evidence 
that  he  has  resided  at  least  one  year  in  the  United  States  previous 
to  his  application. 

Sect.  7.    The  third  Canon  of  1835  is  hereby  repealed. 

CANON    VIII, 

Of  the  Organizing  of  Nev)  Dioceses  Formed  out  of  Existing 
Dioceses. 

Sect.  1.  Whenever  any  new  Diocese  shall  be  formed  within 
the  limits  of  any  other  Diocese,  or  by  the  junction  of  two  or  more 
Dioceses  or  parts  of  Dioceses,  and  the  same  shall  have  been  rati- 
fied by  the  General  Convention,  the  Bishop  ofthe  Diocese  within 
the  limits  of  which  another  is  formed,  or  in  case  of  the  junction  of 
two  or  more  Dioceses  or  parts  of  Dioceses,  the  Bishop  of  eldest 
consecration  over  the  Dioceses  furnishing  portions  of  such  new 
Diocese,  shall  thereupon  call  the  Primary  Convention  of  tlie  new 
Diocese  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  it  to  organize,  and  shall  fix 
the  time  and  place  of  holding  the  same,  such  place  being  within 
the  territorial  limits  of  the  new  Diocese. 

Sect.  2.  In  case  there  should  be  no  Bishop  who  cati  call  such 
Primary  Convention  pursuant  to  the  foregoing  provisions,  then 
the  duty  of  calling  such  Convention  for  the  purpose  of  organizing, 
and  the  duty  of  fixing  the  time  and  place  of  its  meeting,  shall  be 


286      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Tested  in  the  Standing  Committee  of  die  eldest  of  the  Dioceses,  by 
the  junction  of  which,  or  parts  of  which,  the  new  Diocese  may  be 
formed.  And  such  Standing  Committee  shall  make  such  call  im- 
mediately after  the  ratification  of  a  division  by  the  General  Con- 
vention. 

Sect.  3.  Whenever  one  Diocese  is  about  to  be  divided  into  two 
Dioceses,  the  Convention  of  the  said  Diocese  shall  declare  which 
portionihereof  is  to  be  the  new  Diocese,  and  shall  make  the  same 
known  to  the  General  Convention  before  the  ratification  of  such 
division. 


H 

Primitive  Church  Government;  extracted  from 
Waddington's  Clmrch  History,  Harper's  edition, 
chapter '2,  section  2,  p.  4J-44. 

"  Church  GorcriimnU.  We  must  row  proceed  to  examinethe 
discipline  and  government  of  the  primitive  Church,  and,  in  this 
inquiry,  we  shall  discover  no  marks  of  a  loose  and  passing  super- 
stition, but  on  the  contrary,  the  surest  prognostics  of  vigor  and 
immortality.  There  are  many  reasons  which  make  it  necessary, 
in  the  treatment  of  this  subject,  to  distinguish  clearly  between 
what  is  historically  known,  and  what  is  plausibly  conjectured; 
for  it  is  from  the  confusion  of  facts  with  probabilities,  that  most 
of  the  ditficulties  of  this  question  have  arisen.  In  the  first  place, 
it  is  certain,  that,  from  the  moment  in  which  the  early  Churches 
attained  a  definite  shape  and  consistency,  and  assumed  a  perma- 
nent form  of  discipline ;  as  soon  as  the  death  of  the  last  of  the 
Apostles  had  deprived  them  of  the  more  immediate  guidance  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  left  them,  under  God's  especial  care  and 
providence,  to  the  uninspired  direction  of  mere  men  ;  so  soon  had 
every  Church,  respecting  which  we  possess  any  distinct  informa- 
tion, adopted  the  Episcopal  form  of  government.  The  probable 
nature  of  that  government,  we  shall  describe  presently;  but  liere 
it  is  sufficient  to  mention  the  undisputed  fact,  that  the  religious 
communities  of  the  Christian  world  universally  admitted  the  su- 
perintendence of  ministers,  called  bishops,  before  the  conclusion 
of  the  first  century.  In  the  next  place  it  is  equally  true,  that  nei- 
ther our  Saviour  nor  his  Apostles  have  left  any  express  and  posi- 
tive ordinances  for  the  administration  of  the  Church;  desiring, 
perhaps,  that  that  which  was  intended  for  every  age  and  condition 
of  man,  to  be  the  associate  and  guardian  of  every  form  of  civil 
government,  should  have  the  means  of  accommodating  its  exter- 
nal and  earthly  shape  to  the  various  modifications  of  human  polity. 


APPENDIX    H.  287 

It  is  also  true,  that  in  the  earliest  government  of  the  first  Chris- 
tian society,  that  of  Jerusalem,  not  the  elders  only,  but  the  "  whole 
Church"  were  associated  with  the  Apostles;  and  it  is  even  cer- 
tain, that  the  terms  bishop,  and  elder  or  presbyter,  were,  in  the 
first  instance,  and  for  a  short  period,  sometimes  used  synony- 
mously, and  indiscriminately  applied  to  the  same  order  in  the 
ministry.  From  the  coinparison  of  these  facts,  it  seems  natural 
to  draw  the  following  conclusions, — that  during  the  lifetime  of 
the  apostles  they  were  themselves  the  directors,  or  at  least  the 
presidents  of  the  Church;  that  as  long  as  they  remained  on  earth, 
it  was  not  necessary,  in  all  cases,  to  subject  the  infant  societies  to 
the  delegated  authority  of  a  single  superintendent,  though  the  in- 
stances of  Titus  and  Timothy  clearly  prove  that  it  was  sometimes 
done;  and  that,  as  they  were  severally  removed  from  the  world, 
some  distinguished  Ijrother  was  in  each  instance  appointed  to  suc- 
ceed, not  indeed  to  the  name  and  inspiration,  but  to  the  ecclesias- 
tical duties  of  the  blessed  Teacher  who  had  founded  the  Church. 
The  concurrence  of  ancient  records  confirms  this  last  conclusion  ; 
the  earliest  Church  historians  enuiYierate  the  first  bishops  of  the 
Churches  of  Jerusalem,  Antioch,  Ephesus,  Smyrna,  Alexandria, 
and  Rome,  and  trace  them  in  each  case,  from  the  Apostles.  And 
thus  it  came  to  pass  that,  for  more  tlian  twenty  years  before  the 
death  of  St.  John,  most  of  the  considerable  Churches  had  gradu- 
ally fallen  under  the  presidency  of  a  single  person  entitled  Bishop; 
and  that,  after  that  event,  there  were  certainly  none  which  did  not 
speedily  follow  the  satne  name  and  system  of  administration. 

Prophets.  Again,  for  the  first  thirty  years,  perhaps  somewliat 
longer,  after  the  ascension  of  Christ,  tlie  labors  of  the  apostles 
were  aided  by  certain  ministers  entitled  Prophets,  who  were 
gifted  with  occasional  inspiration,  and  taught  under  the  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  order  of  teachers  was  withdrawn  from 
the  Church  when  their  office  became  no  longer  necessary  for  its 
advancement,  and  it  appears  wholly  to  have  ceased  before  the  end 
of  the  century,  at  which  period,  as  we  have  already  observed,  ec- 
clesiasi;ical  government  universally  assumed  that  durable  shape 
which  has  been  perpetuated,  and,  with  certain  variations,  gener- 
ally adopted  through  every  age  of  Christianity. 

Dea,co7is.  We  have  yet  made  no  mention  of  the  deacons,  who 
were  the  thirf  order  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  word  dea- 
con means  minister,  and  in  that  sense  is  sometimes  applied 
to  the  office  of  the  Apostles ;  but  in  a  general  sense  only,  since 
we  are  assured  (Actsvi.)  that  the  diaconal  order  was  distinct,  and 
instituted  for  a  specific  purpose.  However,  it  seems  certain  that, 
in  the  very  beginning,  the  office  of  the  deacons  was  not  confined 
to  the  mere  ministry  of  the  table,  since  we  read  that  Stephen  dis- 
puted publicly  on  the  Christian  truth,  with  irresistible  wisdom 
and  spirit ;  and,  moreover,  that  "  he  did  great  wonders  and  mira- 
cles among  the  people."  It  is  equally  clear  that  attendance  on  the 
poor  was  for  several  centuries  attached  to  it ;  even  after  the  office 


288        THE     C  0  M  I'  n  E  IT  E  N  S  I  V  E     CHURCH. 

of  treasurer  was  lield  by  the  bishop,  tlie  portion  destined  to  chari- 
table relief  conlinued  to  pass  through  the  hands  of  the  deacon.  It 
is  not  so  easy  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  tiieir  spiritual  duties  in  the 
earliest  Church.  Ignatius  speaks  of  them  with  high  respect,  and, 
in  one  place,  calls  them  "  ministers  of  the  mysteries  of  Christ." 
Tertullian  distinguishes  them  from  the  laity,  together  with  bish- 
ops and  presbyters.  Cyprian  asserts,  that  the  Apostles  appointed 
them  as  "ministers  of  their  episcopacy  and  Church."  By 
tlie  Nicene  Council  they  are  designated  as  servants  of  the 
bishop.  It  is  certain  that  they  were  ordained  by  the  bishop 
alone,  witliout  any  imposition  of  hands  by  presbyters;  that  in 
some  Churclies  they  were  admitted  to  read  the  gospel,  and  that 
they  universally  assisted  in  the  distribution  of  the  Eucharist, 
without  any  share  in  its  consecration.  Their  early  acknowledg- 
ment as  members  of  the  ministry  is  proved  by  their  occasional 
presence  in  the  original  synods  of  the  clergy. 

Clergy  and  Laity.  The  origin  of  the  distinction  between  the 
clergy  and  the  laity  has  given  rise  to  much  controversy.  Bingham 
is  of  opinion  that  it  was  derived  from  the  Jewish  into  the  Christian 
Church  in  its  earliest  days.  And  Clemens  Alexandrinus  has  ex- 
pressly declared,  "that  St.  John,  after  his  return  from  Patmos, 
ordained  bishops,  and  appointed  such  men  for  clerical  ministers 
as  were  signified  by  the  Holy  Spirit."  If  the  persons  here  men- 
tioned were  actually  set  apart  and  consecrated  to  the  ministry,  the 
reality  as  well  as  the  name  of  the  distinction  might  with  greater 
assurance  plead  apostolic  authority;  but  this  does  not  positively 
appear.  On  the  other  hand,  the  separation  of  the  sacred  order  is 
so  commonly  mentioned  by  the  early  Fathei-s,  not  by  Cyprian 
only,  but  by  his  predecessors  Tertullian  and  Origen,  and  so  inva- 
riably treated  as  a  necessary  part  of  the  Christian  system,  that  if 
its  origin  was  not  coeval  with  the  foundation  of  the  system,  it  was 
at  least  unrecorded  and  immemorial.  The  fairest  supposition  re- 
specting this  question  appears  to  be,  that  ihe  first  converts,  those 
who  spread  the  earliest  tidings  of  retiemption  before  the  Apostles 
themselves  had  quitted  Judea,  were  commissioned  to  preach  the 
name,  and  diffuse  the  knowledge  of  Christ  indiscriminately.  But 
it  seems  equally  certain,  that  this  commission  was  of  very  short 
duration;  and  that  as  soon  as  in  any  place  converts  were  found 
sufficient  to  form  a  society  or  church,  a  bishop  or  presbyter  was 
ordained  for  life  to  ministerto  them.  Tl»e  act  of  ordination  estab- 
lished the  distinction  of  which  we  are  treating. 

According  to  the  earliest  form  of  Episcopal  government  it 
would  appear  that  the  bishop  possessed  little,  if  any,  power  in 
matters  of  discipline,  except  with  the  consent  of  the  council  of 
presbyters  ;  that  the  council  possessed  no  sort  of  power  except  in 
conjunction  with  him;  and  that,  inaftairs  strictly  spiritual,  as  the 
ordination  of  the  inferior  clergy,  and  the  administration  of  the 
sacraments,  especially  that  of  baptism,  he  acted  as  some  think 
with  original,  and  certainly  with  independent,  authority.     His 


APPENDIX    H  .  289 

office  v/as  for  life,  and  the  funds  of  tlie  society  were  committed  to 
his  care  and  dispensation.  Of  most  of  the  apostolic  churches,  the 
first  bisho]3s  were  appointed  by  tlie  apostles;  of  those  not  apostol- 
ical, the  first  presidents  were  probably  the  missionaries  who 
founded  them  ;  but,  on  their  death,  the  choice  of  a  successor  de- 
volved on  the  members  of  the  society.  In  this  election,  the  people 
had  an  equal  share  with  the  presbyters  and  inferior  clergy,  with- 
out exception  or  distinction  ;  and  it  is  clear,  that  their  right  in  this 
matter  was  not  barely  testimonial, but  judicial  and  elective.  Thi.s 
appointment  v/as  final,  requiring  no  confirmation  from  the  civil 
power  or  any  superior  prelate;  and  thus,  in  tlie  management  of 
its  internal  affairs,  every  church  was  essentially  independent  of 
every  other. 

The  Churches,  thus  constituted  and  regulated,  formed  a  sort  of 
federative  body  of  independent  religious  communities,  dispersed 
through  the  greater  part  of  the  empire,  in  continual  communica- 
tion, and  in  coiistant  harmony  with  each  other.  It  is  towards  the 
middle  of  the  second  century  that  the  first  change  is  perhaps  per- 
ceptible: as  the  numbers  ofthe  believers  and  the  limits  of  the  faith 
were  extended,  some  diversities  in  doctrine  or  discipline  would 
naturally  grow  up,  which  it  was  not  found  easy  to  reconcile  ex- 
cept by  some  description  of  general  assembly.  Accordingly  we 
find  the  first  instances  of  such  assemblies  (unless  that  which  was 
summoned  by  the  Apostles  may  be  so  called)  at  this  period. 
They  were  composed,  either  ofthe  bishops  only,  or  of  these  asso- 
ciated with  a  party  of  the  priesthood  ;  those  ministers  presented 
themselves  as  the  representatives  of  their  respective  societies;  nor 
was  any  superiority  claimed  by  any  of  them  in  virtue  ofthe  sup- 
posed pre-eminence  of  particular  Churches.  These  councils  were 
called  by  the  Greek  name,  Synods,  and  seem  at  first  to  have  been 
provincial,  following  in  some  manner  the  political  division  ofthe 
empire.  They  had  their  origin  in  Greece — the  land  of  public 
assemblies  and  popular  institutions,  of  which  the  memory  was 
fondly  cherished  there,  after  the  reality  had  been  lost  in  Roman 
despotism.  Their  character  was  essentially  popular  ;  the  repre- 
sentatives of  equal  Churches,  elected  to  their  sacred  offices  by  the 
whole  body  over  which  they  presided,  assembled  to  deliberate  as 
equals;  and  we  may  reasonably  indulge  the  belief,  since  the 
exertion  of  freedom  in  any  one  direction  makes  it  more  ready  to 
act  in  every  other,  that  the  political  emancipation  of  mankind  was 
promoted,  even  thus  early,  by  the  free  and  advancing  spirit  of 
Christianity. 

Such  were  the  principles  on  which  the  affairs  of  the  Churches 
were  conducted  for  some  time  after  the  period  mentioned  by  us  ; 
and  none  can  be  conceived  more  favorable  to  the  progress  of  the 
faith.  The  government  of  a  single  person  protected  each  society 
from  internal  dissension — the  electiveness  of  that  governor  render- 
ed probable  his  merit — the  meeting  together  of  the  deputies  ofthe 


299      THE     COIVII'REHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

Churclies  in  occasional  assemblies,  on  equal  terms,  taught  the 
scattered  members  of  the  faith  that  they  wei-e  animated  by  one 
soul,  and  informed  and  dignified  by  one  spirit." 


History  of  the  Articles  of  Religion  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States,  extracted  from  the  "  Memoir  of  the 
Life  of  Bishop  White,"  hy  the  Rev.  Bird  Wilson, 
D.  D.,  Professor  of  Systematic  Divinity  in  the 
General  Theological  Setninary  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,     p.  143-152. 

"  Of  the  Articles  of  Religion.  In  the  "  proposed  book,"  the  ar- 
ticles were  reduced  in  number  to  twenty.  These  were  regarded 
by  the  English  bishops  as  containing  the  essential  principles  of  the 
Gospel;  and  no  objection  was  made  to  them,  except  to  that  rela- 
ting to  the  creeds,  as  already  mentioned.  But  they  never  received 
the  sanction  of  the  Church.  While  they  were  under  considera- 
tion in  the  convention,  Dr.  White  manifested  his  anxiety  to  pre- 
vent the  use  of  any  language  having  a  tendency,  even  though 
only  apparent,  to  oppose  the  great  doctrine  that  salvation  is  of 
mere  grace.  The  article  onjustification,  as  proposed  in  the  report 
of  the  sub  committee,  was  objected  to  by  him  and  Dr.  Griffith.  It 
was  at  last  withdrawn,  and  tiie  eleventh  article  of  the  Cliurch  of 
England  inserted.  Their  objection  to  the  proposed  article  "  was 
its  being  liable  to  a  construction  contrary  to  the  great  evangelical 
truth  that  salvation  is  of  grace.  It  would  iiave  been  a  forced  con- 
struction, but  not  to  be  disregarded."  At  that  time  he  was  desi- 
rous that  the  article  on  predestination  "  should  be  accommodated 
not  to  individual  condition,  and  to  everlasting  reward  and  pun- 
ishment, but  to  national  designation,  and  to  a  state  of  covenant 
with  God  in  the  present  life."  The  language  proposed  by  him, 
and  inserted  by  the  convention  of  Pennsylvania,  in  their  instruc- 
tions to  their  deputies  in  the  General  Convention  in  1786,  was: 
"  Predestination  is  the  everlasting  purpose  of  God,  whereby  (be- 
fore the  foundations  of  the  world  were  laid)  he  hath  constantly 
decreed,  by  his  counsel,  to  admit  to  the  inestimable  privileges  of 
the  Gospel  dispensation,  all  those  Gentiles,  as  well  as  Jews,  who 
should  believe  in  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ;  they,  through  grace,  obey 
the  calling  of  God  ;  they  be  justified  freely  ;  they  be  made  sons  of 
God  by  adoption ;  they  be  made  like  the  image  of  his  only  begot- 


APPENDIX     I  .  291 

ten  Son,  Jesus  Christ ;  they  walk  religiously  in  good  works;  and 
at  length,  by  God's  mercy,  they  attain  to  everlasting  felicity." 
This  view  of  the  subject  he  always  continued  to  entertain;  but 
was  afterwards  "  convinced,  that  the  introducing  of  it  as  an  article 
woidd  have  engendered  needless  controvei'sy,  on  the  meanings  of 
tlie  terms  predestination  and  election,  as  used. in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. If  we  cannot  do  away  the  ground  of  controversy  hereto- 
fore laid,  it  at  least  becomes  us  to  avoid  the  furnishing  of  new 
matter  for  the  excitement  of  it."  Had  articles  been  after v.ards 
framed  anew,  he  would,  without  doubt,  have  advocated  the  entire 
omission  of  the  subject. 

The  thiriy-nine  articles  of  the  Ch.urch  of  England,  with  the  ex- 
ception oftlie  political  parts  abrogated  by  the  revolution,  were  still 
the  acknowledged  faith  of  this  Ciiurch,  even  before  they  were 
sanctioned  by  any  resolution  of  the  convention.  But  without 
some  modifications  in  their  language,  and  in  the  manner  in  which 
they  should  be  set  forth,  they  couhi  not,  with  j^ropriety,  be  pub- 
lished as  her  confession  of  faith.  They  were  long  under  the  con- 
sideration of  the  General  Convention. 

In  llie  early  periods  of  the  discussion,  there  was  much  difference 
of  sentiment  on  the  expediency  of  having  articles  of  religion  at  all. 
Bishop  Madison  gave  his  opinion  against  them  altogether,  on  the 
principles  oftlie  Confessional  and  the  like  books  ;  and  Bishop  Pro- 
voost,  as  Dr.  White  always  supposed,  did  not  materially  differfrom 
him,  but  being  in  the  presidential  chair  at  the  time  of  the  discussion 
in  his  presence,  did  not  deliver  his  sentiments.  Bishop  Seabury  at 
first  expressed  in  conversation  adoubt  whether  it  were  expedient  to 
have  any;  tiiinkiiig  that  all  necessary  doctrine  should  be  com- 
prehended in  the  liturgy,  by  which  the  object  of  articles  might  be 
accomplished.  But  afterwards,  he  saw  so  clearly  the  inconven- 
iences likely  to  result  from  the  want  of  an  authoritative  form  of 
public  confession,  that  he  wished  to  adojit  one,  and,  as  was  un- 
derstood, the  code  of  the  thirty-nine  articles.  Bishop  Claggett 
was  in  favor  of  them.  Bishop  V/hite  "  professed  himself  an  ad- 
vocate for  articles ;  the  abolishing  of  which  would,  he  thought, 
only  leave  with  every  pastor  of  a  congregation  the  right  of  judg- 
ing of  orthodoxy,  according  to  his  discretion  or  his  prejudices; 
while  the  articles  determine  that  matter  by  a  rule,  issuing  from  tile 
public  authority  of  tlie  Chiu'ch." 

In  1789,  the  bishops  proposed  a  ratification  of  the  thirty-nine 
articles,  with  an  exception  m  regard  to  the  tliirty-sixthand  thirty- 
seventh  ;  but,  with  their  concurrence,  the  subject  was  referred,  in 
the  house  ofdepulies,  to  a  future  convention.  In  1792,  the  bishops 
were  ready  to  undertake  the  review  of  thein  ;  but  as  the  churches 
in  some  of  the  states  were  not  represented  in  that  convention,  and 
others  only  partially,  the  subject  was  postponed  by  the  house  of 
deputies.  For  similar  reasons,  it  was  again  postponed  by  the 
convention  of  1795,  on  the  proposal  of  the  bishops.  At  the  next 
convention,  in  1799,  it  was  brought  before  the  house  of  deputies  j 


292        THE    COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

which  "  resolved  itself  into  a  committee  of  the  whole,  to  take  into 
consideration  tlie  propriety  of  framing  articles  of  religion."  The 
committee  of  the  whole  reported  to  the  house  a  resolution,  "  that 
the  articles  of  our  faith  and  religion,  as  founded  on  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  are  sufRciently  decl  ired  in 
our  creeds  and  liturgy,  as  set  forth  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer 
established  for  the  use  of  this  Church  ;  and  that  further  articles  do 
not  appear  necessary."  But  this  was  negatived  in  the  house;  and 
a  committee  was  subsequently  appointed  to  frame  articles.  They 
reported  seventeen.  But  the  house  of  deputies  resolved  that,  on 
account  of  the  advanced  period  of  the  session,  and  the  thinness  of 
the  convention,  the  consideration  of  them  should  be  postponed; 
and  that  the  secretary  should  transcribe  the  articles  into  the  jour- 
nal, to  lie  over  for  the  consideration  of  the  next  General  Conven- 
tion. On  this  publication  of  the  proposed  articles  in  the  jour- 
nal. Dr.  White  remarks,  that  "  the  bishops  had  no  opportunity  of 
expressing  their  sense  on  the  question  of  publishing  the  draft  of 
articles  which  it  (the  journal)  contains.  Such  a  publication  was 
certainly  very  injudicious  ;  if  for  no  other  reason,  because  it  might 
have  been  expected  to  be  easily  mistaken  for  the  sense  of  at  least 
one  of  the  houses  of  the  convention.  Indeed  it  was  so  misunder- 
stood ;  whereas  it  Was  the  sense  of  a  committee  only;  not  an  in- 
dividual besides  liaving  delivered  in  his  place  any  opinion  on  any 
article.  But  this  was  not  the  worst.  It  tended  to  excite  religious 
acrimony,  without  any  possible  good  effect  at  the  present;  and 
with  the  probaljle  bad  effect  of  the  greater  acrimony,  on  an  oppor- 
tunity of  settlement  in  future."  He  disapproves  of  the  application 
of  the  term  "  priesthood,"  in  one  of  the  articles,  "  to  denote  all  the 
orders  of  the  Christian  ministry;  and  not  confined  to  the  order  of 
presbyters,  as  in  the  established  ordinal ;  of  the  former  of  which 
there  is  no  example  in  tlie  institutions  of  the  Church  of  England." 
And  he  adds:  "  It  is  not  here  designed  to  charge  any  other  fault 
on  the  articles  proposed.  They  are,  in  substance,  what  is  contain- 
ed in  the  thirty-nine  articles,  without  any  superaddition,  except  in 
the  particular  stated.  But  the  remarks  may  serve  to  show,  that 
in  the  work  of  clearing  that  code  of  what  maybe  thought  unneces- 
sary positions,  there  is  danger  of  admitting  some  novelty,  more 
fruuful  of  controversy  than  what  may  be  done  away.  In  the  pre- 
sent instance,  the  novelty  introduced  is  susceptible  of  the  construc- 
tion, of  obtruding  on  the  church  the  notions  of '  sacrifice,'  in  the 
strict  and  proper  sense;  of  'altar'  as  the  place  of  it;  and  of 
'  priest'  as  tiie  sacrificer." 

The  articles  were  at  length  reviewed  and  established  by  a 
resolution  of  the  two  houses,  in  1801.  As  the  subject  had  been 
so  frequently  before  them,  and  in  various  forms,  the  fullest  oppor- 
tunity had  been  given  to  ascertain  the  sentiments  of  the  Church 
at  large,  and  to  adopt  deliberately  the  most  judicious  determina- 
tioR.  "  As  to  I'epeated  discussions  and  propositions,  it  had  been 
found  that  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  as  they  stand  in  the  thirty- 


APPENDIX    I  .  293 

nine  articles  of  the  Church  of  England,  with  the  exception  of  such 
matters  as  are  local,  were  more  likely  to  give  general  satisfaction, 
than  the  same  doctrine  in  any  new  form  that  might  be  devised. 
The  former  were  therefore  adopted  by  the  two  houses  of  conven- 
tion, without  their  altering  of  even  the  obsolete  diction  in  them  ; 
but  with  notices  of  such  changes  as  change  of  situation  had  ren- 
dered necessary.  Exclusively  of  such,  there  is  one  exception  ; 
that  of  adopting  the  article  concerning  the  creeds,  to  the  former 
exclusion  of  the  Athanasian."  By  the  form  of  the  resolution  of 
the  two  houses,  the  previous  obligation  of  the  articles  as  a  pro- 
fession of  religious  faith,  is  impliedly  recognized  ;  the  language 
being — "  the  articles  of  religion  are  hereby  ordered  to  be  set  forth, 
with  the  following  directions  to  be  observed  in  all  future  editions 
of  the  same;"  and  again  :  "the  articles  to  stand  as  in  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  of  the  Church  of  England,  with  the  following 
alterations  and  omissions." 

The  reasons  for  adhering  to  the  thirty-nine  articles,  in  prefer- 
ence to  forming  new  ones,  are  thus  stated  by  Dr.  White.  "  When 
the  question  has  been  put — Whether  the  thirty-nine  articles  are 
the  best  rule  that  can  be  devised ;  the  author  has  answered,  that  he 
thought  them  better  than  any  other,  likely  to  be  obtained  under 
present  circumstances,  Conventional  business  is  too  much  hur- 
ried, and  the  members  of  the  conventions  are  not  sufficiently  retired 
from  other  avocations,  for  the  entering  on  determinations  of  this 
magnitude.  Even  if  the  greater  number  of  the  body  should  be 
conceded  to  be  sufficiently  learned  for  the  work  ;  ecclesiastical  le- 
gislation has  not  been  of  sufficiently  long  standing  in  this  Church, 
to  have  established  the  characters  of  those  who  exercise  it,  as  to  this 
point,  in  the  estimation  of  the  world.  Until  such  a  character 
shall  be  established,  a  few  obstinate  or  factious  men  will  overset, 
in  their  respective  congregations,  what  shall  have  been  enacted  in 
convention.  Besides,  many  persons  among  the  laity,  and  some 
even  among  the  clergy,  had  declared  their  determination  to  abide 
by  the  articles  at  all  events;  which  made  it  much  to  be  feared  that 
schism  would  take  place,  whenever  any  material  change  should 
be  determined  on.  In  this  case,  they  who  should  adhere  to  the 
articles,  would  claim  their  relation  to  the  Church  of  England  ; 
while  it  would  be  questionable,  whether  the  others  would  have 
any  permanent  tie  among  themselves. 

"  Therefore,  the  author  wished  for  an  adherence  to  the  thirty- 
nine  articles,  not  excepting  the  general  principles  maintained  in 
the  political  parts  of  them  ;  but  with  an  exception,  in  the  ratifica- 
tion, of  the  local  application  of  the  said  parts,  according  to  the 
letter  of  them.  But  he  did  not  wish  to  have  the  articles  signed, 
as  in  England,  according  to  the  tenor  of  the  thirty-sixth  canon  of 
that  Church.  He  preferred  the  resting  of  the  obligation  of  them 
on  the  promises  made  at  ordination,  as  required  by  the  seventh  ar- 
ticle of  the  constitution,  considered  as  sufficient  by  the  English 
bishops  ;  which  would  render  them  articles  of  peace,  as  they  are 

25 


294   THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCM. 

sometimes  said  to  be  in  the  Church  of  England ;  but  not  with  such 
evident  propriety  as  they  would  then  be  in  the  American  Church. 
As  the  author  approves  of  the  general  tenor  of  the  thirty-nine  arti- 
cles, he  trusted,  that  however  he  might  have  supposed,  in  his  private 
judgment,  the  possibility  of  omitting  some  of  them,  and  of  alter- 
ing others  to  advantage  ;  yet  not  perceiving  a  probability,  either 
that  such  a  change,  if  made,  would  have  been  for  the  better  ;  or, 
that  if  so,  it  would  have  found  such  general  acceptance  as  to  prove 
a  sufficient  bond  of  union ;  he  thought  he  acted  consistently,  in 
endeavoring  to  obtain  them  on  the  terms  stated." 


'Objections  to  the  Liturgy  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  answered  ;  extracted  from 
"  Thoughts  on  the  Religious  state  of  the 
COUNTRY,  hy  the  Rev.  Calvin  Colton.  p.  120 — 
134. 

"  Let  us  consider  separately  some  of  the  most  common  objec- 
tions to  a  prescribed  form,  such  as  is  used  in  the  Episcopal 
church. 

1.  It  is  a  Roman  liturgy.  This  reason  may  have  force  in  com- 
pany with  prejudice  ;  not,  I  think,  anywhere  else.  It  has  been 
already  fully  answered  in  the  previous  chapter  on  Episcopacy, 
by  the  suggestion,  that  the  objection  bears  with  equal  sway 
against  the  Bible— against  Christianity,  &c.  If  the  liturgy,  as 
abridged  and  expurgated  from  Roman  corruptions,  is  sound  in 
doctrine  and  good  for  practical  purposes,  that  is  enough — that  is 
all  that  needs  to  be  claimed  for  it.     No  matter  where  it  came  from. 

Moreover,  our  liturgy  is  not  in  fact  a  production  of  the  Church 
of  Rome  ;  but  in  all  that  is  of  original  and  uninspired  composi- 
tion, in  its  collects,  and  in  the  general  and  substantial  structure 
thereof,  it  may  fairly  be  accepted,  partly  by  presumption  from  a 
consideration  of  its  intrinsic  and  obvious  merits,  where  positive 
testimony  of  the  origin  of  particular  parts  is  wanting,  and  partly 
by  historical  evidence,  as  having  emanated  from  the  most  eminent 
Christians  of  all  ages,  back  to  the  Apostles ;  and  is  actually  con- 
nected with  them.  All  tne  devotional  parts  of  the  liturgy  will  sat- 
isfactorily demonstrate  this,  even  though  we  lay  aside  the  conside- 
ration of  the  notable  fact,  that  no  devotional  compositions  of  our 
own  day  ever  obtain  a  general  acceptance,  except  they  are  from 
the  hand  of  the  most  pious,  godly,  heavenly-minded  men.    There 


APPENDIX     J.  295 

is  nothing  in  the  history  of  the  church  of  Rome  to  sliow,  positive- 
ly or  presumptively,  that  her  ritual,  in  any  of  the  parts  received 
by  Protestants,  had  been  corrupted.  Besides  the  general  excel- 
lence of  the  liturgical  composiiions,  as  approved  by  the  con- 
science, and  by  the  most  devout  and  heavenly  affections  of  the 
universal  church,  every  true  Christian  must  feel,  that  the  service 
called  the  Litany  is  a  very  ecstacy  of  devotion,  and  that  none 
can  attain  to  the  purity  and  height  of  its  holy  and  heavenly  breath- 
ings, without  feeling  that  he  is  above  the  world  and  nearto  heaven. 
All  persons  accustomed  to  the  liturgy  must  have  felt  the  power  of 
that  part  of  it.  To  such,  the  Litany  will  need  no  commenda- 
tion from  me.  The  like  was  never  written  by  the  hand  of  unin- 
spired man.  It  seems  inspired — and  inspired  in  the  highest  de- 
gree. 1  verily  believe  it  is  so;  not  indeed  as  claiming  our  re- 
spect as  a  part  of  the  sacred  canon — but  as  having  been  drawn  by 
the  hands  of  men,  who  stood  and  felt  themselves  to  be  standing  in 
and  breathing  the  holiest  atmosphere  that  is  possible  on  earth — 
in  the  presence  and  at  the  footstool  of  the  Eternal  Three  in  One 
— at  the  foot  of  the  Cross — sympathizing  with  God  and  with  the 
dependence  and  wants  of  our  race — breathing  out  the  holiest, 
most  importunate  prayer  after  God  and  for  redemption  from  sin. 
It  seems  as  if  they  stood  at  the  last  stage  between  earth  and  heav- 
en, about  to  enter  heaven,  but  unwilling  to  go  there,  till  they  had 
used  their  last  opportunity  of  prayer,  and  poured  out  before  the 
throne  of  God  and  the  Cross  of  a  dying  Saviour  their  effectual 
intercessions  for  all  whom  they  were  leaving  behind.  Let  any 
Christian  read  that  portion  of  the  Liturgy,  and  he  will  confess, 
that  this  which  I  have  said  of  it  is  not  praise,  but  a  simple  state- 
ment of  its  merits. 

In  short,  it  is  evident,  that  this  manual  of  public  and  private 
devotion,  in  all  that  is  uninspired,  and  in  its  general  plan  and 
structure,  is  the  joint  product  of  the  most  orthodox  and  the  holi- 
est of  men.  Say,  that  it  has  been  in  use  in  the  Roman  Church  ; 
say,  even — though  that  does  not  appear — that  it  was  principally 
produced  in  that  Church  ;  I  see  not,  I  feel  not,  that  it  can  be  the 
worse  for  that.  Nay,  as  we  are  certified,  that  som.e  of  the  most 
eminent  Christians  that  have  lived  since  the  days  of  the  Apostles 
have  been  found  in  that  connexion,  and  as  we  have  satisfactory 
evidence,  that  such  characters,  running  back  through  all  ages  of 
the  church,  must  have  had  the  charge  of  this  production,  it  comes 
to  us  under  the  higliest  sanction  of  uninspired  authority.  It  is  in 
facta  joint  work  of  the  wisest  and  best  men,  that  have  been  found 
scattered  along  through  the  entire  range  of  the  Christian  Era  to 
the  sixteenth  century.  But  the  work,  after  all,  speaks  tor  itself, 
and  by  whomsoever  used,  is  sure  to  make  impressions  of  its  own 
holy  character.  I  have  never  yet  seen  the  Christian,  or  the  man, 
who  could  open  his  mouth  against  it,  on  the  ground  of  its  intrin- 
sic merits.    It  is  admitted  to  comprehend  every  subject  of  prayer, 


296      THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

and  the  wide  scope  of  Scripture  history,  devotion,  doctrine,  and 
precept. 

2.  The  prescribed  service  of  the  Episcopal  Church  is  objected 
to  as  an  irksome  repetition,  and  therefore  luiprofitable.  That  the 
public  services  under  tlie  bead  of  iVlorning  and  Evening  prayers, 
are  tlie  same  througliout  the  year,  is  true  ;  and  1  have  shown,  that 
the  public  prayers  of  other  denominations,  wiio  reject  these  and 
all  prescribed  forms,  are  notwithstanding  for  the  most  part  set 
forms;  and  it  is  equally  true,  that  they  are  in  general  nearly  a 
repetition.  The  ditfeience  in  this  particular  is  too  trifling  to  be 
made  of  any  account,  especially  when  balanced  against  other 
considerations,  which  will  generally  be  allowed  to  operate  in  fa- 
vour of  the  Episcoj)al  service  and  against  these.  For  example: 
The  prayers  of  the  Episcopal  Church  are  short,  having  inter- 
vals occupied  by  the  choirand  by  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  This 
gives  variety  and  relieves  from  irksomeness.  The  language  also 
is  pure  and  comprehensive,  and  equally  adapted  to  all  minds. 
Whereas,  in  the  other  case,  the  principal  prayer  is  l^ng— often 
uncommonly  so.  Not  unfrequently  it  occupies  a  half  hour,  till 
everybody  is  tired.  Besides,  the  language  often  offends  good 
taste;  the  subjects  are  sometimes  treated  awkwardly,  so  as  to  give 
pain,  instead  of  promoting  edification  ;  topics  are  occasionally 
touched  in  a  manner  very  objectionable;  and  the  minds  of  a 
large  portion  of  the  congregation  are  unavoidably  occupied  in 
criticism,  rather  than  joining  in  worship.  But  those  who  habitu- 
ally attend  on  the  Episcopal  service  have  no  room  for  criticism, 
and  no  provocation.  If  they  are  pious  and  devout,  the  prescri- 
bed tonn,  so  far  as  it  occurs  as  a  repetition,  is  a  help  to  their  de- 
votions. Repetition  there  must  be  in  all  modes  of  worship;  it  is 
unavoidable.  And  when  it  must  occur,  it  is  desirable,  that  it 
should  be  brief,  comprehensive,  and  pure,  as  in  the  prayers  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  For  those  who  are  not  pious,  and  conse- 
quently not  absorbed  in  devotion,  I  believe,  as  a  general  fact,  that 
the  Episcopal  service  is  less  irksome  and  more  agreeable.  The 
frequent  change  and  great  variety  are  an  obvious  reason  why  it 
should  be  so.  Besides,  it  should  bo  recollected,  that  much  the 
greater  part  of  the  services  appointed  for  every  day,  and  for  every 
morning  ami  evening,  including  the  collects  and  Scriptures,  are 
not  a  repetition  except  once  a  year — leaving  out  of  view  the  part 
sustained  by  the  choir,  and  even  that  has  more  or  less  variety  in 
it.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  short  prayers  offered  up  at  in- 
tervals between  other  paits,  the  services  of  ihe  Episcopal  Church 
actually  have  less  i-epetition  and  a  greater  variety,  than  those  of 
any  other  Protestant  Church.  And  it  cannot  be  denied,  that  they 
are  all  in  the  highest  degree  Scriptural,  and  eminently  calculated 
to  assist  devotion. 

t  3.  But  there  is  too  much  getting  up  and  sitting  down,  too  fre- 
quent change  of  posture  and  of  topic,  too  much  interchange  of 
different  kinds  of  service,  &c.     Doubtless  it  does  seem  so  to  those 


APPENDIX     J.  297 

who  are  not  accustomed  to  it,  and  who  are  more  used  to  services 
like  the  Presbyterian.  But  when  this  objection  is  proved  experi- 
mentally, it  not  only  vanishes,  but  the  practices  before  esteemed 
fauhs  are  transformed  into  excellences.  The  whole  system  is 
found  to  accord  with  nature  and  with  thespiritof  closet  devotion. 
It  mi^ht  be  presumed,  tiiat  such  a  ritual,  the  jiroduct  of  so  many 
centuries  of  the  Cinisiian  cliurcli,  and  of  the  most  illustrious 
saints  adorning  her  annals,  who  had  to  do  with  the  formation  of 
this  work,  was  never  composed  and  constructed  but  with  all  the 
lights  and  suggestions  of  experience. 

Follow  the  Christian  to  his  closet,  where  is  his  Bible,  his  pray- 
er and  hymn  books,  his  various  manuals  of  devotion.  He  kneels 
and  invokes  God,  iiis  Father,  Redeemer,  and  Sanctifier;  he  reads 
a  verse,  or  two,  or  more,  or  a  chapter  of  the  Bible,  according  as 
bis  feelings  incline.  If  a  sentiment  of  devotion  springs  up  in  his 
heart  at  any  moment  or  place  of  his  reading  or  meditation,  he  in- 
stantly gives  expression  to  it;  if  any  desire,  he  oilers  it  up  i a 
prayer;  if  he  feels  any  evil,  he  prays  for  deliverance  ;  if  his  kind- 
ness for  others  flows  out,  he  prays  for  them  ; — whatever  emotion 
springs  up  in  his  bosom,  he  utters  it,  whether  of  sorrow  for  sin, 
of  gratitude  for  favours,  of  adoration,  of  intercession,  or  of  praise. 
If  one  great  feeling  pervades  his  heart,  he  dwells  upon  it,  and 
bring  ii  out  in  various  forms  in  his  addresses  to  the  Deity.  In 
the  course  of  half  an  hour  he  has  perhaps  looked  many  times  into 
his  Bible,  hymn  book,  and  other  devotional  helps  that  may  lie 
before  him,  and  at  each  interval  poured  out  his  various  and  rapid- 
ly succeeding  emotions  and  desires  before  the  throne  and  mercy 
seat  of  God.  He  rises  and  walks  his  room,  and  kneels  again; 
he  prays  ;  he  sings,  it  may  be;  he  changes  his  subject,  his  book, 
his  posture,  and  passes  from  one  act  of  devotion  to  another,  just 
as  his  feelings  prompt  him  ;  and  his  states  of  feeling  are  every 
moment:  changing,  as  thoughts  succeed  each  other.  This  is  na- 
ture in  such  an  occupation  ;  it  is  man  acting  out,  without  restraint, 
liis  own  character,  as  a  religious  being,  in  the  cnhivation  of  reli- 
gious affections.  And  it  is  very  likely  he  will  offer  the  same  peti- 
tion, word  for  word,  many  times  in  succession,  and  at  every  time 
ending  it  with  the  usual  doxology  and  Amen.  He  loves  to  say, 
•'  Through  my  Lord  and  Saviour  .Tesus  Christ;  and  to  ascribe 
"praise  to  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost."  He  lov(  s  to  go  over 
the  same  thing  again  and  again,  where  his  affections  for  the  mo- 
ment are  strongly  fixed;  and  he  believes,  that  God,  who  is  his 
Father,  is  willing  to  hear.  And  he  will  perhaps  return  to  the  same 
topic  many  times  in  the  same  season  of  his  retirement. 

Now  let  it  be  observed,  that  the  entire  system  of  ihe  Episcopal 
ritual  is  based  upon  this  principle— viz.  on  the  natural  and  vari- 
ous promptings  of  religious  afl'ections  in  closet  devotion,  so  far  as 
it  can  be  applied  to  public  worship.  There  is  this  difference  be- 
tween the  two  :  In  his  closet  the  Christian,  being  alone,  jollows 
the  promptings  of  his  feelings  ;    whereas  a  public  ritual  should 


098  THE   COMPREHENSIVE   CHURCH. 

itself  be  the  prompter  and  the  guide.  In  his  closet  the  Christian 
is  not  called  upon  to  have  respect  to  others,  but  only  to  himself,  in 
the  course  of  his  devotional  exercises.  But  in  public,  where  there 
are  many  minds  and  various  states  of  feeling,  the  exercises  of  de- 
votion should  be  so  contrived,  as  to  bring  all  these  various  minds, 
as  far  as  possible,  to  the  same  state  at  the  same  time.  In  public, 
it  is  impossible,  that  a  ritual  of  devotion  should  be  conformed  to 
the  states  of  feeling  in  each  individual;  its  aim  should  rather  be 
to  prompt  and  control  feeling,  but  not  without  regard  to  that  vari- 
ety, as  well  as  repetition,  which  is  the  spontaneous  growth  of  the 
closet.  The  closet  is  the  model;  and  the  plan  of  public  worship 
should  be  to  come  as  near  to  it  as  possible.  It  is  the  natural  flow 
and  rapidly  succeeding  changes  of  the  religious  afFertions,  which 
are  to  be  regarded  ui  the  tbrmation  of  a  public  ritual.  In  this 
view  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  Episcopal  forms  and  modes  of  wor- 
ship have  been  ordered  in  wisdom  ;  and  that  they  demonstrate  a 
consummate  acquaintance  with  the  human  heart  under  the  affec- 
tions of  religion. 

4.  But  the  common  use  of  the  ritual  by  all  the  people  is  a  mere 
mockery,  and  sanctions  hypocrisy  ;  it  is  well  known  that  there  is 
no  devotion  in  the  hearts  of  a  great  portion  of  the  congregation, 
and  they  know  it  themselves;  and  the  practice,  in  connexion  with 
this  consciousness,  is  in  great  danger  of  making  them  mere  form- 
alists for  life  ;  and  consequently  it  is  perilous  to  their  souls. 

That  any  person  should  fail  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  forms 
of  public  worship,  on  which  they  are  accustomeil  to  attend,  is  cer- 
tainly to  be  regretted  ;  but  I  am  not  aware,  that  this  is  a  sin  pe- 
culiar to  Episcopalians.  It  may  possibly  be  more  visible  among 
thein ;  but  in  all  honesty  I  do  not  think  it  is  more  prevalent. 
Wliat  is  the  appearance  of  any  person  in  a  religious  congrega- 
tion, but  an  ostensible  profession  of  worship  1  The  reigning  pub- 
lic conscience  of  the  community  is  in  favor  of  religion  ;  and  the 
ordinances  of  public  worship  are  God's  ajipointed  means,  not  only 
of  edification  to  Christians,  but  of  bringing  unconverted  men — 
sinners,  who  in  their  conscience  respect  religion — home  to  him- 
self. For  the  most  part,  those  who  use  the  solemn,  and  as  it  must 
be  confessed  by  all,  the  appropriate  ritual  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
may  charitably  be  supposed  to  have  a  respect  for  its  doctrine  and 
sentitnents;  and  in  the  exercise  of  the  same  charity,  it  may  also 
be  presumed,  that  their  conscience  goes  with  the  service.  On  the 
last  point,  there  is  in  most  cases  no  dnubt. 

There  is  just  as  much  reason  for  the  Ministry  of  the  Church 
to  call  on  all  the  people  to  engage  and  take  part  in  the  public  ser- 
vices of  the  Sanctuary,  as  for  the  Christian  father  and  head  of  a 
family  to  call  around  the  altar  of  his  household  his  children  and 
domestics,  and  exhort  them  to  join  in  the  acts  of  devotion,  what- 
ever be  their  fortn,  in  which  he  leads.  Both  institutions  are  suit- 
able and  good,  and  have  the  saine  general  design ;  and  all  the  ob- 
jections, which  can  be  brought  against  one,  lie  with  equal  force 


APPENDIX     J.  299 

ag;ainst  the  other.  It  may  be  hoped,  tliat  he  who  can  be  induced 
to  join  formally  and  habitually  in  acts  of  social  and  public  wor- 
tihip,  will  also  by  that  very  means,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  be 
brought  to  a  participation  in  the  grace  and  spirit  of  that  worship. 
Certainly  it  must  be  granted,  that  it  is  more  hopeful  and  better  to 
do  it,  than  not  to  do  it.  I  think,  indeed,  it  may  be  satisfactorily 
shown,  that  a  formal  and  actual  participation  in  the  ordinary  use.? 
of  the  public  ritual  of  the  Episcopal  Ciiurch,  other  thmgs  being 
equal,  is  more  likely  to  issue  in  a  cordial  acquiescence  in  the  re- 
quirements of  the  Gospel,  than  the  passive  and  taciturn  habit  of 
the  Presbyterian  and  some  other  denominations.  The  mere  sug- 
gestion of  this  idea,  I  am  disposed  to  believe,  will  generally  be 
convincing.  This  suggestion  is  the  more  forcible,  when  we  con- 
sider, that  the  temper  of  the  age  and  of  the  pulilic  mind  is  favour- 
able to  the  possession  and  exemplification  of  the  graces  of  practi- 
cal piety  in  all  their  legitimate  bearings — wliich  is  an  undoubted 
fact. 

5.  The  audible  responses  of  the  congregation  are  objected  lo  as 
improper,  unprofitable,  and  tending  to  contusion. 

As  to  the  charge  of  confusion,  inasmuch  as  it  is  an  appo  inted 
order,  well  understood,  conformed  to  without  difficulty  in  the  man- 
ner intended,  and  to  those  concerned  is  in  no  sense  confusion,  it 
requires  no  reply.  That  it  is  improper,  if  it  suits  the  feelings  of 
the  denomination,  I  cannot  see,  or  feel.  In  all  ages  religious  con- 
gregations have  been  accustomed  to  make  responses  to  official  per- 
formances, in  one  form  or  another:  So  did  the  Hebrews;  so  do 
the  Jews  still;  and  so  have  Christians  from  the  beginning,  with 
the  exception  of  some  Protestant  sects,  who  have  probably  laid 
aside  this  practice,  rather  for  the  sake  of  setting  up  a  difference 
under  the  name  of  an  improvement,  ihun  for  any  good  reasons,  as 
is  the  fact  in  some  other  changes.  I  think  it  cannot  faiily  be 
made  a  question  of  propriety,  but  of  taste  and  habit ;  and  may 
therefore  be  lawful  with  those  who  like  it. 

As  to  its  profitableness,  it  may  be  remarked,  that  it  is  not  only 
an  ostensible,  and  with  true  worshippers,  a  real  expression  of 
sympathy,  but  it  is  calculated  to  give  greater  efifect  to  the  power 
of  sympathy,  and  to  kindle  livelier  sentiments  of  devotion  in 
the  hearts  of  those  who  engage  in  these  offices.  What  Chris- 
tian does  not  know  by  experience  the  difference  in  the  state  and 
activity  of  his  religious  feelings,  v/hile  engaged  in  the  duties  of 
the  closet,  when  in  one  case  his  devotions  are  only  mental,  and  in 
the  other  he  gives  them  an  audible  expression  1  The  mere  sound 
of  his  own  voice  on  his  own  ear,  in  the  utterance  of  his  emotions, 
and  the  effect  of  natural  an  I  appropriate  intonations,  give  a  new 
character  and  an  increased  ardour  and  vigour  to  those  sentiments. 
It  is  hardly  possible  for  him  to  realize  tiie  full  benefit  of  private 
devotions,  when  deprived  of  this  privilege.  It  is  in  truth  and  in 
all  experience  the  most  indispensable  and  most  active  means  o£ 
Icindling  devotion  to  its  purest  and  most  glowing  fires. 


300     THE     COMPREHENSIVE     CHURCH. 

And  if  such  be  the  effect  in  the  closet,  how  much  more  in  the 
public  congregation,  where  the  mysterious  and  amazing  power  of 
sympathy  conies  in  to  give  character  and  intensity  to  the  devo- 
tions of  ilie  house  of  God  1  Such  beyond  all  question  is  the  natu- 
ral tendency,  and  such  the  design  of  this  practice.  It  is  intended, 
moreover,  that  every  one  present  should  feel  that  he  is  a  worship- 
er, and  that  he  should  sustain  his  own  part.  Ii  makes  all  partici- 
pants in  concert,  bcsirles.  that  it  gives  to  each,  even  in  this  public 
place,  the  additiot  a!  privilege  of  the  closet.  While  he  reads  and 
prays  and  sings  in  company  wiiii  those  around  liim,  enjoying 
and  communicating  tlie  power  of  sympathy,  he  also  reads  and 
prays  and  sings,  as  one  alone  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  in  his 
earthly  sanctuary.  There  is,  perhajis,  no  feature  of  tlie  Episco- 
pal rimal,  that  is  founded  more  in  nature — that  is  belter  adapted  to 
man  as  he  is — and  of  course,  none  mure  demonstrative  of  wisdom, 
and  of  experience  in  the  character  and  operations  of  pieiy,  as  well 
as  in  the  means  of  assisting  and  promoting  it.  It  is  true,  this 
privilege  may  be  abused  :  so  may  any  thing  else.  It  may 
fail  of  Us  iiuended  efiect  over  undevout  minds  ;  and  so  may  any 
other  and  whatever  means. 

7.  The  numerous  holy  days  and  saint's  days,  appointed  or 
recommended  to  be  observed,  in  the  Episcopal  liturgy,  are  object- 
ed to  as  relics  of  the  Romish  superstitions. 

As  a  theory,  independent  of  these  fragments  of  history,  it  would 
seem  very  suitable,  that  the  most  remaikable  events  of  our  Sav- 
iour's earthly  abode,  from  his  nativity  to  his  ascension,  should  be, 
in  some  form  and  by  special  ordinances,  commemorated.  Wheth- 
er the  very  week  of  the  year,  or  day  of  the  month,  can  be  pre- 
cisely determined,  is  not  of  material  importance,  if  Christiana 
can  be  agreed  on  any  assumed  dates  for  the  respective  events.  It 
must  be  evident,  that  such  observances  are  calculated  to  fix  and 
preserve  in  the  public  mind  the  remembrances  suggested  by 
them;  and  to  do  it  more  effectually,  tlian  could  be  realized  in  the 
want  of  them,  in  the  same  manner  as  onr  Fourth  of  July  keeps 
alive  the  recollection  and  sentiments  proper  to  be  cherished  in  re- 
lation to  that  eventful  period  of  our  history  ;  in  the  same  manner 
as  thei2'2d  of  February  reminds  us  of  the  Father  of  our  Country  ; 
and  in  the  saiue  manner  as  the  annual  celebration  of  any  remark- 
able event  or  epoch,  distinguislied  in  history  for  good  or  evil  to 
mankind  generally,  or  to  any  community,  may  serve  to  inspire 
with  gratitude,  hope,  and  courage,  if  the  event  was  a  blessmg,  or 
with  admonition  and  caution,  if  it  was  an  evil. 

And  what  harm  in  setting  uji  in  like  perpetual  memorials,  if 
there  is  room  for  them,  to  such  names  as  the  most  distinguished 
of  the  Apostles,  Evangelists,  Christian  martyrs  of  the  earlier  and 
later  ages,  and  of  the  most  eminent  saints,  that  belong  to  past 
history  1  Is  not  their  history  inspiring  and  profitable  to  contem- 
plate 1  Is  it  proper— is  it  well  to  let  their  names,  their  example,  and 
their  virtues  go  into  oblivion  ?    Can  it  be  honestly  averred,  inde- 


APPENDIX     J  .  30r 

pendent  of  the  supposed  origin  and  mediate  descent  of  some  of  these 
apjpointments,  that  the  use  made  of  them  in  the  Episcopal  church, 
is  likely  to  have,  or  does  have  any  bad  effect  1  Viewed  as  a  theory, 
the  objection  falls ;  and  I  am  not  aware  that  the  practice  is  found 
to  be  vicious  in  its  tendency.  Every  question  of  this  kind*,  to  be 
determined  fairly,  must  be  decided  on  the  simpe  ground  of  its  own 
merits,  apart  from  the  infiuence  of  prejudice. 

But  who  are  tliey  that  make  tliis  objection  1  I  will  stappose,  for 
example,  that  they  arc  Presbyterians  and  Congregaticnalists. 
"Well,  let  us  try  them  by  their  own  rule:  It  is  a  singular  fact,  that 
within  the  limits  of  about  twenty  years,  and  for  the  most  part  in 
much  less  time  than  that,  a  calendar  of  stated  religious  occasions, 
or  holy  days,  has  been  made  up,  adopted,  and  gone  into  general 
use  throughout  these  two  denominations,  much  more  crowded,  as 
I  am  inclined  to  believe — though  1  have  not  taken  the  trouble  of 
counting  tiie  lists  in  the  two  eases  for  comparison — than  the  cor- 
respondmg  calendar  of  holy  days,  adopted  and  recommended  by 
the  Episcopal  Church,  wliich  have  grown  principally  out  of 
events  scattered  along  the  entire  line  of  eighteen  centuries.  And 
in  addition  to  these,  there  are  constantly  occurring  numerous  spe- 
cial and  extemporaneous  appointments,  which,  in  their  number, 
added  to  the  amount  of  time  allotted  to  their  observance,  probably 
exceed  the  calendar  of  stated  occasions  of  ihe  same  class.  There 
is  a  monthly  Concert,  (of  prayer)  so  called,  at  least  for  every 
week  in  the  year,  and  I  believe  somewhat  in  excess  of  this,  as- 
signe(i  each  to  its  specific  object,  as  for  example,  to  Christian  mis- 
sions generally — which  I  believe  is  the  primitive  institution  of  the 
kind;  to  the  Sabbath  school  enterprise;  to  the  Tract  cause  and 
efforts  ;  to  the  cause  of  Sailors ;  to  the  Temperance  reformation ; 
to  abolition  of  Slavery  ;  to  Christian  mothers'  associations — 
which  in  many  cases  is  weekly  ;  to  Revivals  of  religion  ;  and  to 
numerous  other  specific  occasions,  already  gone  into  extensive, 
and  many  of  them  into  general  observance.  1  suppose  it  would 
be  moderate  to  state  the  monthly  concerts,  which  are  very  gene- 
rally observed,  al  seventy-Jire  a  year.  I'liere  is  a  large  class  of 
other  stated  and  extemporaneous  religious  occasions,  obtaining 
arid  receiving  a  great  share  of  the  atiention  of  the  reliijious  pub- 
lic of  these  two  denoininations,  amounting  in  all,  I  should  think, 
if  we  inclu  le  the  entire  lisi  of  every 'sort  above  spfcified,  lo  not 
less  than /wo  hundred  a  yei>Y,  ]ndepi]K\eni  ot  the  Subbaih.  Of 
course  1  do  not  mean,  ihdt  eacli  of  tliese  has  got  into  general  use; 
but  jjrobably  not  less  than  one  hundred  nnd  Jiftij  of  them  are  very 
widely  observed,  and  that  too  by  the  same  uidividuals. 

This  surprising  list  of  religious  occasions,  or  holy  days,  stated 
and  special,  has  all  grown  up  within  about  twenty  years.  The 
original  monthly  Concert,  on  the  subject  of  general  missions,  has 
long  since  attained  to  a  very  sacred  estimation  ;  and  so  in  its 
train  have  several  others  of  the  same  class,  though  falling  some- 
what behind,  as  regards  the  interest  felt  in  them.     There  are  se\c- 


802  THE  COMPREHENSIVE  CHURCH. 

eral  annual  Concerts,  to  which  very  great  importance  is  attached, 
as  the  first  Monday  in  the  year,  for  the  world ;  a  day  in  Februa- 
ry,  for  colleges;  another  for  the  cause  of  Temperance;  and 
some  others,  the  specific  design  of  which  I  am  not  possessed  of. 
Of  course  I  do  not  refer  to  these  appointments  to  object  to  them. 
Many  of  them  I  have  long  sympathized  with,  and  observed  re- 
ligiously for  the  design  of  their  institution.  My  only  object  is 
to  bring  them  up  in  array  before  those,  who  are  supposed  to  ob- 
ject to  the  comparative  paucity  of  stated  religious  observances,  or 
holy  days,  wluch  are  to  be  found  in  the  religious  calendar  of  the 
Episcopal  church,  that  it  may  be  seen,  which  party  in  fact  has  tlv© 
most,  the  complainants  or  the  accused." 


Date  Due 

,...i,*.^^mmm 

I 

'*^'" 

f) 

PRINTED 

IN  U.  S.  A. 

Pnnceion   Theoloqical   '^ptmna, 


-Speer  Ltbrary 


ii'ii''ii|'''iiiiiii 


1    1012  01023  7511 


